INTERNATIONAL MATCH SERBIA v REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: EMMET MALONEtalks to the young Wigan midfielder who admits his international career has been stop-start to date

IF TONIGHT’S game in Serbia is really to be viewed with hindsight as some significant sort of changing of the guard then almost certainly it is going to have to be the night when James McCarthy at least started to present Giovanni Trapattoni with an unanswerable case for inclusion.

The Italian’s critics haven’t always chosen the players on which they have hung their collective hat wisely in the past, but McCarthy has not disappointed as the clamour for him to be made a more central character in the Irish set up has slowly but steadily gathered momentum.

The strength of his case up until now has sometimes been overstated by his most enthusiastic supporters, but the 21-year-old never seems to be trailing too far behind their expectations. A big season at Wigan this year could really mark him out as destined to be the star they have always said he will be.

At club level, of course, his progress could scarcely have been smoother. On the Ireland front, however, there have been occasional hiccups with Trapattoni, it seemed, feeling the need to test the loyalty of a young man who brought a great deal of trouble upon himself when he declared for Ireland rather than his native Scotland because of a promise he made to his dying grandfather.

His own father’s cancer diagnosis, for which he is continuing to receive treatment, prevented McCarthy travelling to the European Championships this summer with the midfielder instead grabbing the opportunity to spend some time at home.

“It’s been a tough time obviously but he’s positive. At times, it was hard for me to get up the road to see him. Now and again, he’s been down but it’s a bit hard for him because he is getting treatment.

“I try to get up to him as much as I can. Obviously, I wanted to see more of him so I went home during the summer and spent it with him. It was good to get home but it was disappointing missing out on the Euros.”

Trapattoni often displays a certain amount of disenchantment with his young players and some of the choices they make, but this never seemed like one that would meet with his disapproval. Indeed he and the manager seem to have ironed out their early misunderstandings and McCarthy is happy now to settle in, a little less noticed, and start to prove his worth.

“It’s been a bit stop start, stop start,” he admits diplomatically. “I have played a couple of games here and there but it’s about getting as many games as I can and making it difficult for the boss.”

In fact, unless something goes terribly wrong with his club form it seems almost unthinkable that he will not be in every squad.

He needs to push on from a situation where the most memorable two of his three senior appearances have consisted of him being a very late substitute in a competitive game, a move made by Trapattoni so as to end the relentless speculation about the young player’s future, and a starter in the defeat by Uruguay, when he was generally reckoned to have come up short and the manager played a little game of “I told you so” afterwards with the press.

More than a year on, he has continued to progress, mature and add new aspects to his game. He is, he acknowledges, stronger now having bulked up a bit with sessions in the gym during the close season and he is, almost inevitably, more anxious than ever to prove what he can do.

“I am just happy to be here and work hard and show the gaffer that I want to play and make him have a big decision the next time in who to leave out and who to leave in. But it’s going to be tough with the competition for places.

“Tomorrow is a big night for me and a few of the other boys to put a show on and show the gaffer that we want to try and play as much as we can. We’ll give it our best shot.”

He should be better placed than most. He may lack the experience of Glenn Whelan, who he will partner in central midfield this evening, but he has ample opportunity to learn under Roberto Martinez, one of the most tactically aware managers in the Premier League.

So, if Trapattoni is really serious about looking at alternative systems for this Irish team then McCarthy’s importance should soar.

It’s hard to resist the feeling that Trapattoni will revert to what he knows best next month, leaving both McCarthy and James McClean back on the bench for at least a little bit longer. Both will relish the opportunity that the new league campaign affords them to show the Italian they have what it takes.

And on what might well be a difficult night in Belgrade, the Wigan midfielder might just manage to start the process early.