James McCarthy 'struggling' at Celtic as Ange Postecoglou training toils raise question over recruitment of midfielder

The 30-year-old arrived on a free transfer in the summer but it's claimed the Aussie boss wasn't hugely involved in his signing.

Celtic midfielder James McCarthy has reportedly been left exhausted by the pace of training, as it's claimed manager Ange Postecoglou didn't have a big role in signing him.

The Republic of Ireland international made his first start against Livingston on Sunday but struggled to make an impact, completing just 84.5 per cent of his passes.

The 30-year-old has signed a four-year contract with Celtic, but it's reported that he has been struggling with Postecoglou 's training sessions.

The Athletic states that the pace and intensity at Lennoxtown has proved difficult for McCarthy, with questions also raised about the recruitment process.

The website believes that neither Postecoglou nor the scouting department were heavily involved in the decision to sign the former Everton man on a free transfer.

McCarthy was close to signing for the Hoops in 2016, with Record Sport revealing that the midfielder had been shown around Lennoxtown ahead of a potential loan from Everton.

The Athletic claim sources within the dressing room "have spoken of how James McCarthy has struggled in training with the pace and intensity of Postecoglou’s sessions and the demands of his midfielders," before adding "neither Postecoglou nor the scouting department had meaningful input into signing McCarthy."

However, the manager did talk up the summer signing before his start against Livingston.

Postecoglou said: "I’ve been really keen to get James on the pitch and now it looks like he’s ready to go, which will be great.

“We’ve been missing significant players who will help the group when they come back.

"It was good for James McCarthy to get more game time in Spain (against Real Betis), and he’s ready to go now."