FORGOTTEN MAN James McCarthy is on his way out at Celtic.
The former Republic of Ireland midfielder was signed as a free agent from Crystal Palace in August 2021 and still has two years to run on his contract.
However, the 32-year-old Glasgow-born anchorman didn’t start a single game for the champions last season.
McCarthy was involved in only 62 minutes of action. His last first-team sighting was as a substitute in the 2-1 win over St Johnstone in Perth on October 8 last year.
His time at Parkhead has been punctuated with injuries which have restricted his appearances and he will be on his way in this transfer window.
ON THE BALL…James McCarthy is a rare first-team outing.
Brendan Rodgers, speaking to The Scottish Sun, admitted: “It’s a real shame for James, because growing up he was obviously a Celtic supporter.
“I saw him a lot in the Premier League and he was a fantastic talent. He’s a great guy, but sadly a few injuries and niggles have curtailed his time here so he will be looking to move on.
”There’s been interest and his agent and the club are trying to agree on a compromise.”
McCarthy was a Hoops target when he was making his breakthrough at Hamilton Accies in the summer of 2009, but he opted for a £1.2million move to Wigan where he won an FA Cup medal four years later, beating Joe Hart’s Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley.
A few months after the success over the Etihad outfit, boss Roberto Martinez moved to Everton and one of his first actions was to spend £13million on the Scot.
A broken leg, sustained in a game against West Brom in January 2018, derailed his Goodison career and he switched to Crystal Palace in August the following year.
Eventually, he realised his dream in August 3 2021, but, unfortunately, it’s time for the player to leave Paradise.
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