James McClean’s future at Stoke City appears to be in doubt after he was left out of Michael O’Neill’s squad for their pre-season trip to Northern Ireland.
The Republic of Ireland player isn't part of the Potters' six-day training camp in Belfast, reports the Irish Mirror.
Stoke are due to take on David Healy's Linfield in a behind-closed-doors friendly during the trip.
The news comes after McClean lost his shirt number at the Bet365 Stadium. Last season the Derry native wore number 11 for the stripes but has been pegged back to number 30 for the upcoming campaign.
In the aftermath of recent developments, McClean posted a photo of himself decked out in Stoke City gear which was captioned ‘Beg Me.’ It is believed the image is a cryptic message aimed at former Northern Ireland and current Potters boss O’Neill.
Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill. (Image: ©INPHO/Presseye/Jonathan Porter)
McClean has been linked with Celtic and last September. At the time, Stoke City boss O'Neill said there was no substance to transfer "rumours" linking James McClean with a move to Glasgow.
He has made 100 appearances for Stoke since joining from West Bromwich Albion in 2018.
Recently, McClean played in all three of Ireland’s games against Serbia, Luxembourg and Qatar, with O’Neill subsequently saying he was “disappointed” with how the situation was handled as he felt the player was not ready for action at the time and an injury setback picked up on international duty ultimately cost City.
.jpg?w=600)
