James McCarthy still has a future at Everton after Ronald Koeman admitted he wants to keep the midfielder.
McCarthy endured a difficult season which was regularly disrupted by injury spells which limited him to just 13 first-team appearances for the Blues.
A club-versus-country row also erupted around the 26-year-old as he was regularly caught in the crossfire between Koeman and the Republic of Ireland.
Despite being called up for his homeland’s hat-trick of fixtures next month, including a World Cup qualifier, McCarthy has withdrawn himself from selection.
“He spoke to the manager and they took the decision he will not go to the national team,” explained Koeman.
“In my opinion that is a really good decision he needs to recover and get ready for pre-season.
“Of course I want to keep McCarthy because all the times he was really fit and on his level, most of the time he was a starting player.
“But it was really difficult because he had a lot of injuries and that makes it difficult for him and the manager also.”