MX23RW : Saturday, November 23 02:42:16| >> :120:32209:32209:

James McCarthy close to full fitness after Celtic cup cameo

James McCarthy close to full fitness after Celtic cup cameo
© Reuters
The 30-year-old midfielder came on in the 75th minute of Celtic's Premier Sports Cup win over Heart.

James McCarthy believes he is not far off catching up with his fitness following his "dream" Celtic debut.

The 30-year-old midfielder came on in the 75th minute of Celtic's Premier Sports Cup win over Hearts on Sunday.

The Republic of Ireland international is almost two weeks into his Celtic career after training on his own during pre-season and is in a hurry to catch up with his team-mates.

On his first appearance, the former Hamilton, Wigan, Everton and Crystal Palace player told Celtic TV: "It's a dream come true. I've said that from when I joined the club, it's been a massive thing for me and the family.

"I've always wanted to play for Celtic, and coming out, and the reception I got, it's one you dream of as a kid, and I'm delighted to be a part of it now, as I need to make sure the hard work continues now.

"The most important thing was getting through to the next round of the cup, and we've done that.

"Obviously, it was nice to get some minutes for myself, with me not doing pre-season with all of the lads, so I'm still doing a wee bit of catch-up, but I'm getting there now.

"I'm definitely not far away and, as I said, the most important thing now is that we are through to the next round of the cup and we are looking forward to the next challenge during the week."

ID:459615:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect1674:

Click here for more stories about James McCarthy

Click here for more stories about Celtic

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
General view of Aberdeen's Pittodrie Stadium from 2008
Read Next:
5 things we learned from this weekend's Scottish League Cup action
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
Read more about James McCarthy Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Celtic1110103132831
2Aberdeen11101024101431
3RangersRangers11713168822
4Dundee UnitedDundee Utd125431813519
5Motherwell116141514119
6St Mirren134361722-515
7Dundee123361824-612
8Kilmarnock123361525-1012
9Ross County132651021-1112
10St Johnstone133191627-1110
11Hearts132381420-69
12Hibernian121561118-78


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!