Marco Tardelli believes this can now be a defining season in terms of James McCarthy’s career with the 22 year-old set to show what he is made of after being handed a Premier League return courtesy of former boss Roberto Martinez and Everton.
“It’s a good opportunity for him,” he said. “It’s an important year for him because it will decide to become a very good player or a player... I think James has the possibility to become a very good player.”
McCarthy was back in training with the rest of the squad at Malahide this morning and should be in confident mood if, as expected, he starts against Sweden on Friday. Tardelli believes that Shane Long’s own transfer story won’t have any adverse affect on his form in the run up to the game.
“These things happen, we have three days and Shane is a professional,” said the Italian.
Simon Cox in inclined to believe Steve Clarke wouldn’t have wanted to let Long go but found himself in a difficult position as signings were being lined up and pressure possibly came from above. He admits that it may not have been an ideal start to a big week for his fellow striker but believes the West Brom player will quickly put the incident behind him.
“It’s funny,” he says, “it’s one of those thing of those things that only came up on the day and we weren’t aware of until the day when we sitting there watching Deadline Day...you hear the breaking news and then suddenly you realise that he’s not in the hotel anymore.
“I don’t think West Brom really wanted to sell him and I don’t think Shane wanted to leave but I think he’s focussed enough now to concentrate on we have to do here over the next few days rather than worrying about something that only came up in the first place on deadline day. It’s an exciting few days for us all.”
Cox himself has been recovering from an ankle injury but says he is feeling good while David Forde trained normally and Marc Wilson, Tardelli expects, should be able to take part tomorrow after a couple of days resting the foot he hurt at the weekend.
Like most everyone else, the Nottingham Forest striker sees Ireland’s target over the two games as four points and he doesn’t mind too much which of the Republic’s two rivals is beaten. He suggests, however, that the Austria game is of particular significance after the way they grabbed that costly late goal here and because: “We have to get something out of that regardless of what happens against Sweden.”
The 26 year-old, meanwhile, reckons his Nottingham Forest team-mate Andy Reid accepts that he will never probably play for Ireland again now with Cox remarking: “I think he has the mindset now that he’s done his international career and he’s able to use the international breaks to recharge and go away with his family. Other lads get to go away for the international games, he gets to do that.”
