McCarthy the latest to cry off as Irish injury crisis worsens

TALK about tempting fate.

No sooner had Giovanni Trapattoni reported over the weekend that James McCarthy had given firm assurances that he would be joining up with the Irish squad for Wednesday’s friendly against Croatia, than the unwelcome news came through last evening that the Wigan midfielder is now out with an ankle injury.

McCarthy sustained the knock in the second-half of the club’s 1-0 home win in a pre-season friendly against Spanish side Villarreal yesterday afternoon.