Celtic medical staff’s stance on James McCarthy revealed

James McCarthy has been linked with a move to Celtic for years now and it has finally taken place this summer, with the midfielder arriving on a free transfer.

It is safe to say that the Hoops needed to make an addition in the middle of the park following the departure of Scott Brown this summer. But it will be interesting to see how much of an impact McCarthy can make on this team.

One worry for the club though will be his recent history of injuries. McCarthy has not played a lot of regular football in recent times. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he played a combined 2739 minutes of football across his two seasons at Crystal Palace.

It does seem like the Celtic medical staff are happy with what the player has been doing in terms of training since arriving at Parkhead. While speaking with The Scottish Daily Mail [07/08 print edition, page 112] and as reported by 67 Hail Hail, McCarthy said about the situation:

"“I know the medical staff here and have spoken to them quite a lot since I’ve signed. They have said they will make sure I am up to speed before anything.“I have been training at Lennoxtown the last couple of days, so I feel good and they’re happy enough with what I’ve been doing away from the club. Now it’s just about when the manager is going to get me involved.”"

More from Celtic FC News

• Celtic handed fresh injury doubt before Feyenoord game
• Celtic’s £40.7 million announcement should scare Rangers
• Brendan Rodgers makes superb claim about returning Celtic player
• BBC pundit makes sensational claim about Celtic hero Kyogo
• Kyogo Furuhashi sends clear message to Celtic doubters

McCarthy is yet to make his Celtic debut

While the signings of McCarthy and Joe Hart were announced at the same time, the goalkeeper has already had his first taste of action playing for the club, while the midfielder is yet to feature.

This might very well be because McCarthy has been a free agent and has been training on his own this summer. On the other hand, Hart was with Tottenham Hotspur and as a result, it is natural for him to be a bit fitter at the moment as he was in the middle of pre-season.

McCarthy staying fit will be very important to the club this season. He is a Premier League proven midfielder who can be a regular feature in Ange Postecoglou’s first-team if he can find his feet at Parkhead. The fact that he has prior experience of playing in Scotland could help in that regard.