I'm no quitter, says McCarthy

Mick McCarthy today insisted he will not walk away from the Republic of Ireland job.

The Ireland manager, sick to the teeth of the Roy Keane saga which eventually ended last night with the Manchester United midfielder staying at home, has hit back at reports that he will quit after the World Cup finals.

McCarthy has two years left on his contract with the Football Association of Ireland and he is adamant that they will have to push him out if his team flop in Japan in the wake of the Keane affair.

"I am not a quitter. I never have been," said McCarthy as the FAI increased their efforts to bring in Celtic's Colin Healy as Keane's replacement.

"I have two years left in this job and I am not going to walk away. That has never been my style and nothing that has happened here has changed my mind.

"My future is not even up for discussion.

"We have a World Cup game against Cameroon on Saturday and that should be the focus of all our attention.

"We have spent too long worrying about other issues in the past week. I need to work with the players who are here now and want to play for Ireland.

"They are the only ones who should matter between now and the end of this World Cup journey, wherever that may take us."

McCarthy's position may become untenable, however, if Keane attempts to return to the fold in time for Ireland's European Championship qualifiers, which begin in Moscow in September.

The former Irish captain announced his retirement from international football last week but claimed on Monday that he would play for Ireland again, provided McCarthy is no longer the manager.

"There is no question about Mick's future," insisted FAI general secretary Brendan Menton in Izumo today.

"The Association has supported him in all his dealings with Roy Keane and we will continue to support him for the duration of his contract."

Mick: We can now push on with job
The Charlie Whelan column