'I'm staying with Ireland, and that's it. I'm an Ireland player'

SOCCER: MARY HANNIGANhears the views of Wigan's James McCarthy following weeks of speculation over who he would represent in international football

SHOULD GIOVANNI Trapattoni summon him from the bench tomorrow night, even for the final seconds of the game against Macedonia, James McCarthy’s excitement about his competitive international debut will probably only be matched by his relief that a saga not of his making will come to an end.

Even yesterday, despite McCarthy reporting for Irish duty in Dublin, his captain at Wigan, Scotland’s Gary Caldwell, was being quoted in the Scottish Herald advising the 20-year-old to delay a decision about his international future until the summer.

Back in Dublin, though, McCarthy was insisting – yet again – that he is commited to playing for the Republic of Ireland, and not Scotland, the country of his birth. “If I feature against Macedonia that’s it put to bed,” he said.

“But as far as I’m concerned it is put to bed now. I’m staying with Ireland, and that’s it. I’m an Ireland player.”

His international and club managers, Trapattoni and Roberto Martinez, hardly helped dampen the renewed speculation about McCarthy’s feelings on the issue last month, but a subsequent meeting in Wigan with Trapattoni and his assistant, Marco Tardelli, cleared up any misunderstanding about his intentions.

“Everything went well,” he said. “I was happy with what he was telling me. But nothing had changed. It’s just a couple of the press in Scotland got hold of . . . I don’t know what they heard. I think they just went along with the story and maybe picked up something. But it was never going to happen. I’m just happy to be here and to get involved.

“I just want to get my head down and play for Ireland and for Wigan.”

His withdrawal from the squad last month for the game against Wales was, he said, purely down to his fitness after a lengthy spell out with an ankle injury. “There was talk here and there, but as far as I saw it, it was just the press jumping on stuff. I pulled out last month because of my ankle. I was doing rehab and I wanted to look after myself, and the club wanted to look after me as well.”

He hasn’t, he said, had any contact with the Scottish Football Association or Scotland manager Craig Levein about his international status, despite reports they had attempted to persuade him to change his mind, and he insisted that Martinez is more than happy to see him turn out for Ireland.

“He is delighted to see me getting caps here and there. He was wanting me to go, he just doesn’t want me to do too much. He’s trying to look after me. That’s the way it is. He’s delighted for me to get a cap.

“The gaffer has done really, really well for me. He has not put me in any trouble at all. I don’t know where the stories came from.”

Despite having his season interrupted by injury, McCarthy’s form in a struggling Wigan side has earned him many a plaudit, resulting in him being at the centre of transfer speculation. “I’m delighted to get recognition but my main thing just now is to keep Wigan in the Premier League and hopefully I can do that.”

And if that doesn’t happen?

“Then we’ll see in the summer. But we’ve a good enough squad and I am sure we can stay up. We’ve got nine massive games from now until the end of the season and every one of them is a cup final. I broke down during the season with an injury – I was gutted with that, but it is just good to be back playing. There’s nothing worse than watching from the stands. But that’s me back now.”

For now, though, his thoughts are focused on making that competitive international debut. “I think the manager is still looking at the team to see what’s happening, but if I play any part of the game I will be delighted. There are a few family coming over (from Scotland) and a few from Donegal as well, so it would be great.”

And best of all, if he appears in the game, he’d no longer have to field questions about his international allegiance. Was it doing his head in? “It was,” he said.