It’s safe to say James McClean’s long-awaited return to his hometown club Derry City has not quite gone to plan thus far.
The former Ireland international rejoined the Candystripes from Wrexham in January, a move which had been on the cards for quite some time.
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Though he marked his second debut with the club with an assist in the President’s Cup win at Shamrock Rovers, McClean has struggled for consistent form, as have his Derry City teammates.
McClean has already been called out by Roddy Collins, who slated the 36-year-old as the “worst” signing in Derry City’s history.
With Derry still only boasting two wins from the opening series of games, McClean and his brother Patrick were absent for Friday night’s 2-1 defeat at Galway.
Derry manager Tiernan Lynch said that both men were out through injury, with James set to see a specialist next week due to a hip issue.
However, the interest of a few fans was piqued when McClean posted a video to his Instagram story on Saturday morning which showed him training in a boxing ring.
Photo: @macajw on Instagram
The caption on the Instagram story read, “If they don’t have what you want don’t listen to what they say. There’s no greater waste of time than justifying your actions to people who have a life you don’t want.”
The suggestion that McClean was training freely despite his supposed hip issue raised eyebrows among several Derry and League of Ireland fans; prompting McClean to post a follow-up story in which he attempted to shut down any question marks over his injury with strong language.
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James McClean responds to Derry questions
The Facebook page ‘League of Ireland News and Banter’ shared a screenshot of James McClean’s Instagram story on Saturday, asking if it suggested there was “more to” the situation which saw him absent from the Derry City team on Friday night.
As speculation and comment from fans grew in the comments of that post, McClean would soon respond in no uncertain terms on his Instagram story.
Photo: @macajw on Instagram
McClean called out the “garbage” suggestion there was anything suspect about his absence, saying:
Let’s clear this garbage with facts of the matter
1. This was not this morning
2. The injury is a long standing chronic injury that affects being able to run (no running here)
3. Call was made by medical specialists
4. Fuck off
Personal favourite tho “he refused to play” halfwits
Strong words indeed from James McClean, and the latest flashpoint since he returned to the League of Ireland.
For his and Derry City’s sake, a rediscovery of form sooner rather than later would make a massive difference.
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