Celtic midfielder James McCarthy has only made six starts since joining the club on a free transfer in the summer.
While there have been a few impressive moments from the 31-year-old, it is clear that he is ill-suited to the style of play that manager Ange Postecoglou is trying to employ.
With that being the case, fans on Twitter have been questioning why McCarthy was signed in the first place and whether he has a future at Celtic Park:
Bizarre signing ..hard to fathom the sporting or business rationale of signing a previously accomplished player, now, unfortunately, by his sell by date!
— Tadley1966 (@achill_jim) March 12, 2022
Pointless.
Sell him if we can.
Hes not actually that good— G (@GJS2010) March 12, 2022
Waste of money signed 10 years to late I’m afraid don’t see him fitting in to anges way of playing hh💚🇮🇪🍀✊
— gordon malcolmson aka malky🍀🇮🇪💚 (@gordonmalcolms3) March 12, 2022
Total waste of money.
— Mark Carlin (@MarkCar67365004) March 12, 2022
Not in the mould of players Ange wants. Question is whether he can become one? Give him to start of next season with a full pre season and we’ll know if he can do a job in Ange’s side or not!
— Bill Melvin (@wtmelvin) March 12, 2022
JM is a good player but doesn’t suit ange ball, he slows the play down 2 much
— Gary Williamson (@Williamsonggw) March 12, 2022
Looked forward to seeing him play when he first signed but he hasn’t being able to stake a claim for a starting 11 position and to be honest that isn’t going to be possible i believe, unfortunately some signings just don’t workout! However i am always happy to be proven wrong 😅
— HiEnd Hoops (@HiendHoops) March 12, 2022
As some have pointed out previously, you do have to wonder whether Postecoglou had any say in bringing in McCarthy. The Republic of Ireland international has hardly featured under the Australian and while he looks a decent-ish player, he hasn’t got the attributes to really make an impact.
Concerns over the former Everton and Crystal Palace player’s poor injury record have proven to be unfounded, for the most part, but there are big question marks over whether he’ll still be at the club beyond the summer.
