STOKE CITY MANAGER Michael O’Neill has expressed his satisfaction with the contribution of James McClean, while simultaneously identifying areas for improvement in the Republic of Ireland international.

McClean has been a key player for the English Championship club since O’Neill was appointed boss in November.

The Derry-born winger was also at the centre of controversy last month when he was fined two weeks’ wages by Stoke as a result of an ill-advised Instagram post.

However, he has since been making headlines for his generosity amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. McClean made a significant donation to The Donna Louise Trust – a charity in Stoke that cares for children with life-limiting conditions – as well as purchasing PPE (personal protective equipment) for a medical practice in Derry.

O’Neill told the Stoke Sentinel that he’s enjoying working with a player he first encountered when they were both in the League of Ireland.

“For me, James hasn’t been a difficult player to manage at all,” said the 50-year-old, who also remains in charge of Northern Ireland until the European Championship campaign concludes.

“We obviously come from the same part of the world and I knew James way back. I saw James develop as a youngster at Derry City when I was manager of Shamrock Rovers.

“I remember him coming into the team as a strong, powerful young boy and having a decent impact right away. I’ve followed his career with great interest and seen how well he’s done.”

McClean in possession during Ireland's 1-1 draw with Denmark in November. Source: Niall Carson

Following O’Neill’s appointment at Stoke, McClean chipped in with four goals and five assists before suffering a knee injury in a game against Preston North End in February.

“James is such a willing, whole-hearted player, he just at times needs a little bit of guidance,” O’Neill added. “James plays at almost full throttle the whole game and, for me, it’s about taking him away from that a little bit so he’s not always at that point in time.

“I look at how he got hurt in the Preston game, for example, and it’s probably a tackle he doesn’t need to make. He just maybe needs to control his emotions a bit better on the pitch.

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“But for me, he’s been excellent when you look at the number of goals he assisted and the number he’s scored as well. So there’s a lot of positive things in his play, but he maybe needs a bit of help tactically and that’s something we continue to work on.

“He came into the game a bit late and from a non academy-style background, so I still think there’s development in James even though he’s 30/31 and hopefully we can add just a little bit of subtlety to his game as well. So there’s more to come from James.”

McClean will hope to add to his tally of 72 senior international caps under newly-appointed Ireland manager Stephen Kenny, who handed the former Derry City player his League of Ireland debut back in 2008.

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