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Everton news: Ronald Koeman accuses Martin O’Neill of failing to protect James McCarthy on Republic of Ireland duty

Everton boss Ronald Koeman has accused his Republic of Ireland counterpart Martin O'Neill of "not protecting" James McCarthy.

The Dutchman read out a prepared statement about the player's hamstring problem on Friday.

Koeman also said McCarthy "needs to take responsibility" with regard to the situation that has left the midfielder ruled out of Saturday's Merseyside derby at Liverpool.

After going into the international break having missed Everton's last two games because of a hamstring complaint, McCarthy was named in the Republic's starting line-up for their World Cup qualifier against Wales last Friday, only to then be forced to withdraw having pulled up just before kick-off.