JAMES McCARTHY has been removed from the Celtic first-team picture – quite literally.
The 33-year-old midfielder is nowhere to be seen in the official list of players with his image being removed over the past week.
The transfermarkt website shows McCarthy’s current club as Celtic and states he is under contract until May 31 2025.
However, mystery surrounds the former Republic of Ireland international’s vanishing act.
There has been no announcement from the champions over any departure of the player who joined the club on a free transfer from Crystal Palace on August 3 2021, the same day Joe Hart arrived in a £1million switch from Spurs.
HAPPIER TIMES…a delighted James McCarthy poses in front of his Celtic No.16 shirt on the day he signed, August 3 2021.
It was reported at the time McCarthy had signed a four-year deal, 12 months more than the-then 34-year-old goalkeeper who left the London club after spells at West Ham, Burnley and Serie A Torino.
Their careers at the champions could not have been more diverse.
While Hart clocked up his seventh honour at the club with a clean sheet in the Scottish Cup Final triumph over Rangers on May 25 before retiring, McCarthy was totally anonymous.
The 43 times-capped star didn’t kick a ball for Brendan Rodgers and it was a similar tale of woe the previous year when the once much sought-after performer failed to start a single game and 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 2022.
ON THE BALL…James McCarthy in one of his rare first-team appearances.
In August last year, Rodgers, as reported by CQN, 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.”
Apart from a nibble from Greek side Volos FC in an attempt at a cheap loan deal in January, there has been no recent movement for McCarthy.
The Glasgow-born player 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 Hart’s Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley.
INTERNATIONAL DUTY…Glasgow-born James McCarthy in one of his 43 outings for adopted country Republic of Ireland.
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, McCarthy realised his dream of signing for his boyhood idols almost exactly three years ago.
Now, though, the player has passed through the Parkhead exit for the last time, a sad departure engulfed in silence without the opportunity to say a final farewell.
His time at Celtic will go down as one of the strangest transfers in the club’s history.
