The 42

JAMES MCCLEAN AND Derry City are set to part ways, The 42 understands.

Discussions are ongoing but the Ireland international’s return to the Brandywell looks set for an abrupt end after less than a season at his hometown club.

In June, the 37-year-old McClean hinted at his unhappiness at Derry City following his return after a 15-year stint in English football.

“Family [are] enjoying being home – probably not so much myself, if I’m being honest,” McClean said during a punditry appearance on RTÉ.

“You know, you have a lot of conversations on the phone, and then you come home and you quickly realise that what you hear on the phone is not what you see in reality.

“There’s a lot of factors that’s contributed to that, but we’ll leave them for another day.”

On Friday night, McClean posted a picture on social media which suggested he was watching his former club Wrexham play Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup on TV, when Derry City were set to take on Sligo Rovers in a home league game.

Earlier in the week, Derry had confirmed the departure of manager Tiernan Lynch after two years in charge, with director of football Mark Connolly now in charge of the Candystripes on an interim basis.

Lynch was appointed on a three-year contract in November 2024, and his Derry side finished second to Shamrock Rovers in the League of Ireland Premier Division last season.

However, the Belfast native presided over a disappointing start to the 2026 campaign, with McClean critical of the club’s progress under Lynch, such as after their exit from the Uefa Conference League following two 1-0 defeats to Croatian side Rijeka.

“If you watch the games, the lads aren’t losing these games based on lack of effort. So clearly there is an issue somewhere,” McClean posted on Instagram.

“Given [I] am around it every day and have the CV to give my opinion, I think I’ll give it whether anyone likes it or not.

“If you don’t like it, then you’ll excuse me for not caring about your opinion, given that 99.9% that have a lot to say have never played a professional game in their lives.” 

Written by David Sneyd and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.