McCarthy’s a talent but he ain’t yet a midfield messiah

Having experienced FA Cup glory and relegation despair in the space of just a couple of days, James McCarthy could be forgiven for not knowing if he’s coming or going.

The answer, however, is almost certainly the latter, since it seems improbable if not downright impossible that, facing a season of huge transition in the Championship, Wigan will be able to hold onto one of their most prized assets. Then again, hardly a year has gone by since McCarthy’s move south from Hamilton Academical to the DW Stadium in 2009 without some feverish speculation pertaining to his immediate future being splashed across the back pages — especially the Irish ones.

Thus far, however, none of the big guns who have supposedly had him in their sights have actually squeezed the transfer trigger.