James McCarthy was once a key figure at Goodison Park, with an imposing presence in central midfield. But injuries took hold of his career at Everton, and the Republic of Ireland international is a shadow of the man he once was.
So great has been the decline of the 28-year-old who won the FA Cup with Wigan Athletic, that Marco Silva has now given the green light to McCarthy finding a new home this summer, according to Football Insider.
McCarthy made just one appearance under the Portuguese head coach upon his long-awaited return from a tibia and fibula fracture suffered in January 2018, in a campaign that likewise featured just four outings for the Toffees, as a string of knee and hamstring injuries took control of his body and refused to let go.
Even this summer, the 41-cap international has been plagued by injuries, with the boss leaving McCarthy at home as the first-team flew out to Kenya last week for our pre-season friendly with Kariobangi Sharks in Nairobi.
It may have only been a minor muscle issue, but it was just another strike on his frustrating injury-plagued career, that now looks set to continue elsewhere if someone is willing to step forward and give the outcasted midfielder a new home.
A move will not be cheap, though, as Football Insider understand Everton value McCarthy in excess of £10million, and will not budge from their valuation given his extensive record in the Premier League.
Across his time with the Toffees and Wigan, the Glasgow-born Republic of Ireland international has made 223 appearances in the English top-flight, in which he has scored 13 goals and laid on 16 assists.
He has not found the back of the net since scoring our second goal in a 6-3 demolition of AFC Bournemouth in February 2017, however, and has now entered the final year of his £50,000-a-week contract on Merseyside.
With Andre Gomes, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Tom Davies and Morgan Schneiderlin all ahead in Silva’s pecking order, as well as reports linking us with Manchester City’s Fabian Delph and Everton expecting interest in McCarthy, chances of the 28-year-old breaking his two-year goal drought with us are seemingly next to none.