PAUL McGRATH is back in the news, just 10 days after his controversial withdrawal from the Republic of Ireland's World Cup game against FYR Macedonia in Skopje.
By the end of the week, he was sufficiently recovered to fill a central role in Derby County's important win over Manchester United, only to lapse into controversy again when failing a fitness test for the 1-1 draw with Southampton on Wednesday evening.
He now finds himself caught up in another race against time as he seeks to prove that a damaged achilles tendon is sufficiently healed to permit him to play against Aston Villa tomorrow.
Jim Smith, the Derby manager, said that the Irishman had failed to prove his fitness for the Southampton game but he was "reasonably optimistic" that he would be available to face Villa.
This latest episode will be seen as reinforcing the theory that after a long history of injury which precludes him from joining his club mates in training, McGrath is no longer capable of playing two games in a week.
It may also explain, in part, why he was withdrawn from the Macedonian game in a week in which Smith questioned his long-term future at the club, because of worsening injury problems.
McGrath's current contract expires at the end of the season and as yet, there is no firm indication, that he will be offered another one. And that has as much to do with his fitness troubles as the need to prune the club's wage bill.
At a reputed £400,000 a season, he is thought to be Derby's highest paid player. A cost which many of the club's supporters believe was justified in the challenge of protecting Derby's Premiership status.
. Ian Wright and Peter Schmeichel yesterday drew a line under their controversial public clashes by assuring the English FA there is no feud between them.
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