Martinez rejects McCarthy bid reports

Roberto Martinez has dismissed media speculation that Everton have tabled a bid for Wigan Athletic midfielder James McCarthy.

Martinez has signed three players who played under him at Wigan – Antolin Alcaraz, Arouna Kone and Joel Robles – since swapping the DW Stadium for Goodison Park in June.

Republic of Ireland international McCarthy has been linked to follow in the footsteps of his three former team-mates, but Martinez has rejected reports he has made an offer for the 22-year-old

The Everton manager confirmed: “There has been no bid made.

“I think it’s quite easy to understand that James is a player I signed at a young age and I’ve got huge admiration for him, so it doesn’t take anyone to create a little bit of a story.

“But there has been no bid.”

Martinez also stated at a press conference on Tuesday that there has been no further contact with Manchester United after Everton last week rejected a “derisory and insulting” bid from the Premier League champions for two of the club’s players, widely reported to be Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines.