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James McCarthy will be fit for Euro opener against Sweden

McCarthy picked up an injury to the groin and hamstring area in Everton's final-day victory over Norwich and was unable to train with his team-mates ahead of last Friday night's 1-1 friendly draw with Holland<br />Picture by PA
McCarthy picked up an injury to the groin and hamstring area in Everton's final-day victory over Norwich and was unable to train with his team-mates ahead of last Friday night's 1-1 friendly draw with Holland
Picture by PA
McCarthy picked up an injury to the groin and hamstring area in Everton's final-day victory over Norwich and was unable to train with his team-mates ahead of last Friday night's 1-1 friendly draw with Holland
Picture by PA

JAMES McCarthy is confident he’ll be fit to start the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2016 opener against Sweden in Paris on June 13.

Everton midfielder McCarthy, a vital component of Martin O’Neill’s side, has been unable to train over the past fortnight after he picked up a hamstring/groin strain during the Toffees’ final-day Premier League win against Norwich. But the Glasgow-born central midfielder worked with the squad yesterday and on Thursday and is confident he has put the injury behind him.

“I should be fine,” he said.

“I’ve trained with the team the last couple of days and hopefully now I can step it up. It’s obviously good to be back training again with the squad and hopefully now I can kick on and step up the fitness.”

McCarthy missed the recent friendlies against Holland and Belarus but Republic manager O’Neill was convinced that the former Hamilton Academical and Wigan player would be fit to board the plane to France on Wednesday.

He initially told the media the player’s injury was a thigh problem, although it has since emerged that was not the case.

The midfielder said: “It’s hamstring and groin – it’s a bit of both, to be honest - but as I say, I am back training and delighted to be back with the squad.”

McCarthy, who ruled himself out of contention for the squad in 2012 after his father was diagnosed with cancer, added: “There’s a massive excitement about the place, but we’ll take it a game at a time and we won’t get too carried away.

“Obviously the boss and the likes of Roy and the backroom staff, they know how important it is to not look too far forward.

“We have got a tough group, don't get me wrong, but we’ll take it a game at a time. “Each and everyone one of us who is going on the plane and travelling to France, we know it's going to be tough, but there's a real excitement about the place and we are looking forward to it.”

McCarthy’s return to the fold was the one piece of good fitness news for O'Neill yesterday. Skipper Robbie Keane and fellow striker Jonathan Walters – joint top scorers in qualifying with five goals each - were both spectators once again at the Fota Island Resort in Cork yesterday as the rest of the squad went through its paces.

Both of them are nursing calf problems but Keane took to a mountain bike as his recovery is carefully supervised, although he is not expected to work with the group again until the middle of next week at the earliest, by which time the Republic will have taken up residence at the finals base at Versailles.

Ireland will head for France on the back of a first defeat in six matches with a virtual second string side having performed poorly to lose 2-1 to Belarus at Turner’s Cross on Tuesday evening, much to the annoyance of assistant manager Roy Keane.

They will do so determined to improve upon their showing Poland four years ago when they returned home having not managed to take a single point from their three games.