Billy Mckay is refusing to rule out making an emotional return to Inverness in the summer after a disastrous finish to his Dundee United loan spell. The Northern Ireland international, who has hit 13 goals this season, lifted the lid on the heartache he felt at being part of the Tannadice club’s relegation collapse and how much the departing players felt they owed the fans.
But with his Wigan Athletic future shrouded in doubt, Mckay admitted a return to the club where he “played the best football of his career” was a serious possibility.
Caley Thistle manager John Hughes has made no secret of his club’s desire to re-sign a striker who hit 62 goals in 132 games for the Highlanders. Wigan, promoted to the Championship under Gary Caldwell’s management, are expected to spend extensively on new players in the summer, further diminishing Mckay’s prospects of making an impact there in the last two years of his contract.
The 27-year-old said: “I don’t really know my situation and that’s the truth. I’ve still got a contract down there for two years, so I’ve got to wait and see what the summer brings. Things are up in the air. They’ve just got promoted and will probably bring players in.
“It’s something I plan to talk about when the season ends. I’ve not had a chance to speak to anyone at the club. I leave that to my agent. I was just focusing on doing my best for Dundee United and getting this season out of the way.
“Everyone knows I played my best football up here at Inverness and this club means a lot to me, but I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Mckay was part of a United side who delivered a stirring 3-2 victory against Inverness on Friday, albeit a belated one. The end of United’s 20-year unbroken spell in Scotland’s top flight was followed by the announcement of savage squad cuts with all but five of the current group told they could leave.
“It has been a hard week for the club, for the lads and for the fans – and everyone else connected to it,” Mckay admitted. “And we owed it to the fans to make sure we came up here and performed, rather than just showing up. We had to make sure our attitude was right and it was. We are happy to get these points but it’s a little bit too late. There was nothing to lose. The season has been terrible and there’s no hiding that.
“The pressure was off in one sense, but individually there was pressure. The pride of the lads made sure we turned up for the fans and the club and for each other.”
Mckay admitted the win, secured despite a fightback from 3-0 down from Inverness and a red card for Callum Morris, was too little, too late and only added to the hurt.
“It’s very frustrating,” he said. “For me, Inverness are one of the best passing teams in the league, right up there with Celtic in that regard. Coming here we knew they would have a lot of possession, which they did, but we hit them on the break and scored three really good goals.
“So it’s really frustrating because we know if we had put in performances like that earlier in the season, we might not be in the situation we are in.”
As for international prospects, Mckay is hopeful he can be part of the Northern Ireland squad bound for France 2016, but is still on tenterhooks.
“The Northern Ireland squad is getting announced at the end of May and there are a couple of training camps I’ll be involved with before that. I need to make sure I impress in the last couple of games with United and also at the training camps, and, fingers crossed, I’m fit.
“It has been difficult with the situation at United to play my best football. When you are bottom of the league, I don’t think anyone plays their best. Confidence is a big factor and being down there, it’s not helped me.
“But I’ve managed to get myself 13 goals and, in the last couple of games, a couple of assists, so hopefully if I can keep playing like I did tonight and improve a bit more.”
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