McCarthy signs season-long loan deal with Kilmarnock

Hull City’s Republic of Ireland Under-21 international Cathal McCarthy has signed a season-long loan deal with Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock.

The former Newbridge Town, Klub Kildare and UCD man, who turns 20 at the end of this month, made his mark with the Tigers last season in their promotion push. He made six appearances in the Championship and featured twice in the cup competitions, including an eye-catching display against Chelsea in the FA Cup.

The Kildare man also made his Under 21 debut at international level and was rumoured to be the subject of a significant bid from Nottingham Forest earlier this summer.

Hull City were keen to keep McCarthy and extended his contract until 2031 on a new five-year deal before sending him out on loan to gain valuable first-team experience.

McCarthy, who is equally at home in central midfield as the centre of defence, has caught the eye again in pre-season for Hull, most notably when he came off the bench after just four minutes to replace the injured Paddy McNair recently against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Speaking recently to HullLive, McCarthy spoke of his determination to play regular football in the season ahead.

“It's everyone's dream to play in the Premier League, but I'm not too worried about it. If it comes this year and if it comes next year, if I were to wait a few years, that's OK. I know I just need to play. At this age, you just need to play 30 games in a league, just get minutes under the belt. If they send me out on loan, I'm more than happy to do that because minutes are important when you're this young,” he said.

That opportunity has come with a Kilmarnock side who conceded nine goals when losing their opening two games against Celtic and St. Johnstone. They recorded their first win of the new season last Friday evening with a 2-1 victory over Ayr United in the League Cup.

Kilmarnock’s scheduled game for this weekend against Hibernian has been postponed due to their opponent’s European commitments so McCarthy, who will wear number four during his time at Rugby Park, will have to wait until the home game against Dundee United on Saturday 29 August to potentially make his debut.

Speaking to www.kilmarnockfc.co.uk, McCarthy said he can’t wait to get started.

“I want to set down a marker, prove to everyone that I’m good enough to play regular first team football. As for the team, we want to push up the table and do better than we did last season,” he said.

Kilmarnock are managed by former Scottish international Neil McCann and he said this was a deal that they had in their sights for some time.

“He’s a player that we looked at in January, it never happened but we kept tabs on him. We’ve had lots of very positive conversations with Hull. They’ve had a great deal of interest – from clubs north and south of the border – to get him out on loan because of the impact he had on their first team. We’re delighted that Hull, and the player himself, feels that we’re the right place for him,” McCann told his club’s website.

With a full season of senior football now on the horizon, all eyes will be on McCarthy's progress at Rugby Park. The chance he craved has arrived and, if his upward trajectory continues, this loan spell may only be the beginning of much bigger things to come.