McCarthy’s absence a worry

NOT for the first time, a Giovanni Trapattoni pre-match press conference was dominated by a player who was absent.

For Andy Reid and Stephen Ireland in the past, now read James McCarthy.

The Glasgow-born Wigan midfielder, recently returned to action after a lengthy lay-off with an ankle injury, was originally left out of the Ireland squad for tonight’s game against Wales. He then appeared in the U21 panel for Wednesday’s tie in Cyprus before suddenly being called up to the senior squad on Friday. On Saturday, he impressed for Wigan, scoring twice as they beat Blackburn Rovers 4-3 but also shipping a couple of heavy knocks in the course of the 90 minutes.