He told the Daily Express: 'Hopefully, I might get back to playing for the Irish team again. But I will only go back if there is a new manager - and that is out of my hands.'
'When I went back home in the summer a lot of the mail was positive, and the reception I got when I went back to Ireland with United was fantastic, quite moving.
'It made me realise how important going back there and playing for Ireland is. In general, the Irish fans have been very supportive.'
'No one was more disappointed than me about what happened at the World Cup, but life moves on and I hope the Irish team moves on.'
However a McCarthy confidante is qouted in The Mirror:
"After what happened in Saipan, there's no question of Roy Keane being selected for Ireland until he apologises.