FRANK MCAVENNIE has questioned the wisdom of Celtic signing James McCarthy. The former Hoops striker believes the Irish international looks ‘lost’ at Parkhead and questioned the player’s fitness.
We would caveat all Frank’s comments by saying he is paid to give his opinions to Football Insider, and if they suddenly became mundane or on the fence, I don’t think those cheques would keep coming.
“I do not know what has happened to McCarthy, he is just lost now.” McAvennie said.
“Why they bought McCarthy I do not know. I thought he was going to come in and be the holding player in midfield. I liked him I thought he was a great player.
“Now, he does not look fit when he comes on. He obviously is not match fit. I do not know if the manager has sat down with him and told him there is a space there and he needs to step up.”
Many Celtic fans have passed off the McCarthy signing as ‘it is what it is’. The player was clearly brought to the club when the squad was in disarray, and we’d just said goodbye to our legendary captain Scott Brown.
Ange had just come through the door, and it was imperative Celtic made some signings. James was free, and given his exploits down south, powers at be thought Celtic could use his experience.
Once Ange got his feet under the table and began to assemble his team, and what he wanted, it was clear it was going to be difficult for James to fit into that system. The Celtic manager has used McCarthy sparingly and that’s really up to him.
The only question should’ve been, why did Celtic hand James a four-year contract straight off the bat?
He is being treated fairly. He is being given a chance but is not really needed. Other players are more than capable of playing that role. If he steps up, good. If he doesn’t out on loan and no great loss.