Opinion: August signing doesn’t seem to have a future at Celtic

One Celtic player who was on the bench against Rangers at the weekend might not have much of a future at the club – James McCarthy.

The experienced midfielder joined the Hoops in August on the same day as Joe Hart, but whilst Hart has been a mainstay of the Celtic side, the midfielder has rarely featured for the Bhoys.

The Republic of Ireland international has been limited to 20 appearances this season, and his last appearance in the league was against Rangers over a month ago.

The fact that Celtic brought in two midfielders in January – Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi – to add to the midfielders already at the club is perhaps a sign that the player isn’t going to be at Celtic in the long term.

It is interesting that when McCarthy joined Celtic he signed a contract until 2025 – a four-year deal. Even though the player is in his 30s, Celtic must have thought that former Crystal Palace man would be a mainstay of the side, but it just hasn’t happened. 

It is not really a mystery why he hasn’t been able to hold down a first-team spot. Callum McGregor has been excellent for Celtic in the middle of the park, ably supported by the likes of David Turnbull, Nir Bitton and Reo Hatate, to name just a few.

The fact that McCarthy has signed such a long-term deal might mean that he only leaves Celtic on loan at first. There could well be teams in the English Championship interested in the player, as he could do a job in that division.

McCarthy probably could still do a job for Celtic, but there are other midfielders at the club who are playing too well to be left out of the side. It would be a bit of a surprise if McCarthy started for the Hoops against St Johnstone at the weekend, he is far more likely to be on the bench once more.

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