Celtic appear to have quietly released James McCarthy. The former Ireland Internationalist had been out of the first team picture since October 2022 and it always appeared that the midfielder wasn’t the right fit for Celtic at that stage in his career.
McCarthy arrived at Celtic as a free agent from Crystal Palace in 2021. The player signed a four-year deal but after three seasons, the player’s information has been removed from the club’s website, prompting rumours that he’s been released.
It is disappointing that it never worked out for James in a Celtic shirt but he did play his part in a successful two seasons. In Ange’s second season, McCarthy was instrumental in Giorgos Giakoumakis’ late winner at St Johnstone. The player closed down a seemingly lost cause, which helped result in the Greek striker firing in the winning goal.
The decision to give McCarthy a long-term deal raised eyebrows; however, he was coming in during a period of upheaval at the club and it was believed that he could potentially step into the shoes of Scott Brown. As it transpired, McCarthy found it challenging to get going. He contracted COVID-19, found himself injured and then found himself out of favour. While Callum McGregor was out, he enjoyed a brief spell in the team but always looked like he was getting up to speed.
Three years and twenty-seven appearances later, it would be in everyone’s interests if the player were to be moved on in January.
