Mick McCarthy says he is not interested in whether or not Roy Keane plays for the Republic of Ireland again, following his resignation as Irish manager yesterday. McCarthy's departure has paved the way for the Manchester United captain to return in time for the team's next Euro 2004 qualifier in Georgia in March. Keane had said he would never play for Ireland again while McCarthy was in charge.
"You know something? It is no longer my problem," said McCarthy. "It doesn't interest me - it is the next guy's decision. The next person who takes over, it is his issue and his problem. I dealt with it as best I could and I only ever did what I thought was right. If you can say that about yourself in every job you have done, then you can walk away and be happy.
"There is no point being angry with anyone. I walk away with my head held high, my chin up and my chest out, and I think I am entitled to do that. Being angry with people is not going to achieve anything, the one thing which hurts me is leaving without any points on the board, not what anybody else thinks.
"It is not the Republic of Mick McCarthy and it is not the Republic of Roy Keane, and what is a little bit sad is that one of the best players in the world didn't play in the World Cup for whatever reasons. What is also a little bit sad is that the set of circumstances affected a guy who has done his best for Ireland always as a player and as a manager – and that is me. But we get on with it, onwards and upwards," he said.
McCarthy admitted he is uncertain about what his options are. "I don't know what comes next. Of course I shall think about club management, it is what I do and what I enjoy doing. I don't really know anything else, unless somebody is going to take me on as a 43-year-old centre back, which I doubt very much, so that will be the next step. But that is up to somebody else, I shall just wait and see what happens," he added.
Filed by Greg McKevitt
