The former Athlone Town and Bohemians tower/house is no stranger in having to showcase his talents to top foreign clubs, with the Cork native having previously been on trial with the likes of Sunderland, Aston Villa and Portsmouth in recent seasons.

Speaking to The Voice, the Barrymore resident spoke of how it came about that he spent time training with the likes of Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan and of the differences between football here and on the continent.

"Well my agent, Alvaro Blasco, was in contact with Atletico with regards to myself and they said they'd be interested in getting me over for a week to take a look at me. Obviously I was delighted with the news. I only heard about it the week before I went but I had kept myself ticking over the off-season so I was glad to be in good condition fitness wise when the call came.
It was a lot more technical over there. All the players can use both their feet and the ball is always on the ground. I really enjoyed the type of football out there. The facilities as well were absolutely top class. Obviously Atletico are such a huge club in European football so the coaches were brilliant and they really encourage you to get the ball down and play. It really was an unbelievable experience. They told me they were really happy with me so now it's just a case of waiting and seeing what comes out of it.", said McCarthy.

This paper just wishes it had an audio link so you could hear the Spanish language spoken with a Cork twang.

With relation to football back here, McCarthy, who has been linked with a move back to Athlone, says his wishes are just to get his hands on a first team jersey and become a mainstay in a side.

"Well if nothing comes of it, I have a few offers here at home. All I want to do is play football week in week out. At the minute, I'm down training with Galway United so we'll see what happens there."