Wrexham AFC star James McClean has issued a blunt response after the Republic of Ireland manager revealed he had considered recalling the veteran winger from international retirement.
McClean's Firm Stance on International Retirement
The controversy began when Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson admitted he had contemplated bringing the 36-year-old back into the squad for two crucial World Cup qualifying matches. The Icelandic coach was facing a shortage of left-back options for Ireland's upcoming fixtures against Portugal and Hungary.
However, Hallgrimsson ultimately decided against recalling McClean, citing the player's limited game time with Wrexham in the Championship this season. Instead, the manager selected uncapped New York City defender Kevin O'Toole for the squad, a decision that surprised some pundits including former Ireland international Keith Treacy.
Explaining his thought process to the Irish Times, Hallgrimsson said: "He [McClean] was in our thoughts. It was just his playing time has been really limited. But he was in our minds. We talked about him, yes."
The Instagram Response That Settled The Debate
McClean, who earned 103 caps for Ireland before retiring from international duty in November 2023, took to Instagram to set the record straight. He firmly rejected any suggestion of a return and questioned the manager's reasoning about his playing time.
The Wrexham player wrote: "Must be a new thing that 'cause it's never been an issue before but anyways there is no need to talk about me because I ain't available for selection as I am RETIRED...I retired. Good luck tonight and Sunday. Dare to do what many think is impossible and make a place in history for yourselves."
McClean's final appearance for Ireland came in a friendly against New Zealand in November 2023, which served as his international swansong. The former Premier League star has been vocal in his criticism of the national setup recently, having last month slammed Ireland's Finn Azaz for what he called "embarrassing" antics during a qualifier against Armenia.
McClean's Current Focus and Future Ambitions
Since joining Wrexham from Wigan Athletic in summer 2023, McClean has played a role in the club's remarkable back-to-back promotions from League Two to the Championship under Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. However, his opportunities have been limited this campaign with manager Phil Parkinson preferring summer signing Liberato Cacace in the left wing-back position.
In a recent podcast interview with Westlife's Nicky Byrne, McClean confessed: "I'll be honest, I've really enjoyed it [at Wrexham] up until the last two or three months. It's not been ideal, I've not been playing as much as I'd like, which is never a good thing."
The footballer revealed he's channeling his frustration into boxing training and has held preliminary discussions about potentially stepping into the boxing ring. He stated: "Absolutely, it's something I want to do and there has been background chats about it, but I'm contracted at the moment. It's definitely something I want to do in the near future. A lot of my training now is boxing training. I have a bigger passion now for boxing than I do for football."
This confession follows McClean's admission that he threw a punch at a Cardiff fan in what he claims was self-defence prior to a Wrexham match in October. North Wales Police confirmed they had not received any reports about the incident and were not conducting an investigation.
