News

Sunderland boss Martin O’Neill has said that the decision to have a live-in minder with James McClean was entirely down to the winger.

By Declan Whooley

Yesterday it was revealed that Derry City reserve goalkeeper Eugene Ferry was moving in with McClean and his girlfriend to help him settle into the area, but the Black Cats boss has said he had nothing to do with the decision.

"I didn’t tell him to get a minder in. He had mentioned that there was someone going to come over,” he is said in today’s Irish Examiner.

O’Neill has said that he is happy with the decision as the midfielder is a little homesick, though he did quip that the player can act more like a five year old than a 23 year-old.

The manager was quick to stress that he did not think that McClean was going off the rails as has been suggested, but he does need to act more sensibly.

“Lots of things have happened to him and my annoyance with him was purely on the tweeting aspect more than anything else, especially some of the choice language and picking Trapattoni’s team for him,” he conceded.

The former Celtic boss added that he has noticed opposition marking McClean tighter this year but is confident that the young winger has the ability to deal with the attention.

A shame Trap doesn’t feel the same way.