Ex-Celtic defender Gary Caldwell has praised the 'character' of his former Wigan team-mate James McCarthy and backs him to still contribute to the Parkhead side.

The Republic of Ireland international has found game time hard to come by since joining Ange Postecoglou's team last summer.

With the Hoops boss having a host of midfield options at his disposal, including the likes of captain Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate, it has been a struggle for the 31-year-old even to make matchday squads at times.

However, Caldwell, who was part of the Wigan Athletic team with McCarthy that won the FA Cup in 2013, has talked up the mentality of the midfielder.

"James McCarthy is a great character," he told The Sun. "I was fortunate enough to share a changing room with him at Wigan over a number of years, and he’s a great lad.

“He was 18 but looked so young at the time that I felt a duty to look after him whenever we played.

“We actually both made our full Premier League debuts against Wolves, and it soon became clear that he could handle himself.

“When you see him now he’s still got that baby face, even though he’s grown up and has a wife and kids.

"He’s still the same wee character, but the career he’s had has been fantastic.

“I still think James has got loads to offer, and if he decided it’s time to move on from Celtic there will be a queue of clubs interested.

“I think he’ll understand at 31 that he’s not going to be that same dynamic player.

“But the experience he’s gained over the years in England means he can still play at a high level for a number of years yet."

With Celtic recruiting Aaron Mooy in the summer transfer window, it appears that the former Hamilton player will have even more of a fight on his hands this season to try and get regular minutes.

Despite not featuring much over the last year or in pre-season, the ex-Partick Thistle manager is not counting McCarthy out yet from making an impact at Celtic.

He continued: “McCarthy was also always someone who gave 100 per cent every day in training with a real winning mentality, and I’m sure that hasn’t changed.

“He was a terrific team-mate, and I still think he’d be an asset to any squad at this stage of his career.

“If he’s still got the hunger you need to train and play every week then I believe he’s got plenty to offer yet."