McClean remains Derry City player - Connolly

What the report says

Derry City interim manager Mark Connolly has said James McClean remains a club player despite growing speculation about the forward’s future. Connolly, who is overseeing first-team duties after Tiernan Lynch’s departure last week, said McClean is still part of the squad and stressed that his attention is on Derry’s next match, an FAI Cup tie away to UCD on Friday.

BBC Sport reported that McClean attended an open training session on Tuesday and signed autographs for supporters, even as reports suggested the club were trying to reach a settlement to end his spell at the Brandywell Stadium. Connolly said he was not fully across the details of any talks, while noting that McClean has not trained or featured consistently this season. When asked directly by a BBC Northern Ireland reporter whether he was still a Derry City player, McClean appeared to answer in the affirmative.

The situation comes after a difficult return to Derry for the former Republic of Ireland international, who rejoined from Wrexham in January on a multi-year contract. BBC Sport said the 37-year-old has not been in the last five matchday squads and has previously voiced frustration publicly. More broadly, the report placed the dispute against the backdrop of a disappointing campaign for Derry City, who are sixth in the league and well behind leaders Shamrock Rovers.