As the world holds its breath for Ireland-Northern Ireland tonight at the Aviva, McCarthy, our one-cap wonder, has completely disappeared. It seems unlikely that he has vanished into the void of downtown Wigan. We were told time and again of McCarthy's undying commitment to play for Ireland and his respect for his Donegal roots, but now it seems patently clear that McCarthy either disrespects the FAI or couldn't be bothered playing for Ireland. Here's how the Irish Independent relate the confusion:
Sources close to the player had indicated that he was uneasy about the prospect of a circus surrounding a meeting with the Scots this weekend, but the lack of communication has staggered Trapattoni and FAI staff.
On Sunday, he was part of the Wigan side which avoided relegation by beating Stoke. A family source last night claimed that he had injured an ankle on Sunday and believed that Wigan had contacted the FAI to inform them he had gone for a scan.
It's since surfaced on Twitter that McCarthy may have been seeking treatment to an ankle injury. Whatever the real story is, the last thing Ireland fans expected was another chapter to the McCarthy saga. But so it has come to pass. As anyone with functioning vision with know, Ireland plays Norn Iron tonight, not Scotland. Why not cross that Scotland bridge when we come to it on Saturday? If he's injured, couldn't he just inform the FAI of his injury? To a layman, it seems like James McCarthy is suffering from the case of the end-of-season Anthony Stokes.
