McClean remains Derry City player - Connolly

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Derry City interim manager Mark Connolly has reiterated that James McClean remains employed by the club despite speculation over his future.

Former Republic of Ireland international McClean attended an open training session on Tuesday amid reports that the club are attempting to find a settlement that will end his time at the Brandywell Stadium.

"It was interesting to see the speculation on him turning up for training [on Tuesday]," said Connolly, the Candystripes' director of football who took on responsibility for the first team following Tiernan Lynch's departure last week.

"Ultimately he's trained sometimes and he hasn't trained sometimes due to his age.

"James is a Derry City player and we keep moving forward. He's one of 20-odd players. They're all Derry City players."

Connolly said he was not completely sure of the "ins and outs" of any discussions over McClean's future and that his focus is on Friday's third round FAI Cup tie away to UCD.

The former Sunderland midfielder returned to Derry from Wrexham in January on a multi-year deal but his second stint at his hometown club has not gone as hoped.

The 37-year-old has spoken about his frustrations with the move on numerous occasions, including posting about "issues" within the club after they were knocked out of the Conference League qualifiers last month.

Capped 103 times by his country, he has not featured in the past five matchday squads and dissatisfaction on both sides appeared to be coming to a head over the weekend.

A video posted on social media on Friday night showed McClean watching his former side Wrexham at the same time Derry were in action at home against Sligo Rovers.

Despite reports that McClean is in the final days at the club he first represented between 2008 and 2011, he trained on Tuesday and spent time signing autographs for supporters.

When arriving, he was asked by a BBC NI reporter if he was still a Derry City player and McClean lifted his boots towards the camera before responding "clearly".

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