Focus on James McCarthy: Gerry Coylelooks at the background to the 16-year-old prospect declaring for the land of his Donegal grandfather rather than his native Scotland

When Scots-born teenager James McCarthy declared for the Republic of Ireland back in November few had heard of the 16-year-old Hamilton Academicals midfield player

The fact he had already made his first-team debut for the Scottish First Division side at 15 - a record in Scottish football - however suggested he was perhaps something special.

A series of impressive performances subsequently have only served to confirm such an impression. The teenager's stock has risen to the point where he has become one of the hottest young properties in the January transfer market.

The icing on the cake was provided last week when Seán McCaffrey named the youngster - who qualifies for the Republic courtesy of his late Donegal grandfather - in his under-17 squad for next week's double-header against Italy in Dublin.

The acquisition of such a talent is of course good news for Irish fans. Indeed it would appear young Scotland-born players declaring for the Republic of Ireland is becoming something of a trend, with Aiden McGeady and more recently Jim O'Brien - making an impact in the SPL after recently joining Dunfermline on loan from Celtic - opting for the country of their heritage rather than that of their birth.

It has understandably been less well received in the players' native country.

Despite it having been known for some time that McCarthy had pledged his international future to Ireland, it appears that last week's call-up brought home the reality that the Scottish national side had almost certainly (McCarthy still has until under-21 level before making an irrevocable choice) forfeited another talent, a fact underlined by the posse of top Premiership clubs chasing the young midfielder's signature.

Already sections of the Scottish media have been quick to lay the blame at the door of those running the SFA's youth set-up, a perception given credence by the player claiming Scotland had "messed him about" by not turning up to matches to watch him when they promised to do so.

The contention was echoed by his manager at Hamilton, Billy Reid, who criticised Scotland's youth coaches for "making no attempt to bring the youngster into the national set-up".

Archie Knox and Ross Mathie, the men charged with recruiting fledgling talent to the national ranks, however, deny they allowed McCarthy to slip through the net. Both coaches insist they watched the player on several occasions - the implication being that he had fallen short of the required standard.

Such an assessment is unlikely to perturb McCaffrey. The Ireland youth team coach can rest easy knowing his judgment has been vindicated in recent weeks by no less than Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez. Not that he has needed the cream of Premiership management to point him in the right direction. McCarthy's agent, George Gray, recounts how it took McCaffrey all of 10 minutes to make up his mind about the player's talent: "Two days after I contacted Seán and told him about James's eligibility he was over to watch him play. Within 10 minutes his first words were 'he'll do for me'.

Gray also insists those who are beating themselves up over the defection of a player McCaffrey has likened to "a young Roy Keane" are doing so unnecessarily. According to his agent, McCarthy's special relationship with his Irish grandfather ensured the youngster was always going to choose Ireland.

"To be honest, there was never really any contest," says Gray. "James was always very close to his grandfather, Paddy, who used to take him to the football when he was young. He was the one who bought him his first Irish jersey. Since then it has always been James's desire to play for the Republic. His grandfather's death last year has only made that desire stronger."

Glaswegian McCarthy follows a distinguished line of Scottish-born midfielders - Charlie Gallagher, Ray Houghton and more recently McGeady - who have opted to pull on the green jersey courtesy of the Donegal-Glasgow connection.

Significantly, of the three, only McGeady has suffered adversely in his native country for his decision, Houghton having escaped censure by plying his trade outside the parochial confines of the Scottish game, while Gallagher played during what was undeniably a golden era for Scottish football, when the national team boasted legends like Denis Law and Jim Baxter, thus ensuring any perceived haemorrhaging of talent was unlikely to be greeted with the same outcries as in recent times

The lesson from McGeady's situation will not have been lost on McCarthy, who has already been the subject of vitriolic postings on Scottish fans' websites.

Irish fans will be hoping any evaluation of the youngster's actual playing talent will be made sooner rather than later, to allow him to concentrate on playing football and let them see on January 23rd if they have indeed acquired a decent player.