James McClean’s family ‘lucky’ after fire breaks out in new Derry home

The 36-year-old returned to Ireland last month after leaving Wrexham, completing a highly anticipated move to Derry City.

McClean began his career in Derry and has now gone full circle after a long and successful stint in the UK.

His hometown move has been praised across the League of Ireland, with the winger already making an impact after helping Derry beat Shamrock Rovers in the President’s Cup over the weekend.

However, his family life back in Ireland has got off to a rocky start after a blaze broke out in their newly acquired home.

On Friday, McClean’s wife, Erin, revealed that they were "lucky" the fire wasn’t worse when detailing the incident.

She wrote on social media: "What a day! Our boiler in our new house caught fire, and we are so lucky it wasn’t worse. Thank God for the fire brigade for arriving so quickly and making sure it was safe to return. Very thankful. When it rains, it pours."

 Erin recently opened up to her social media followers about the family’s move, admitting that one of the toughest parts of the relocation is watching her kids leave their friends.

She posted a photo of their son, Junior, after he received a signed football kit from Crewe Academy in Cheshire.

Erin said, "A real emotional one today. This has to be the hardest part of leaving England. Junior is heartbroken and he will miss everyone so much."

Meanwhile, McClean received high praise from the higher-ups at Wrexham before he returned home.

Rob McElhenney, who owns the club alongside Ryan Reynolds, lauded the former Republic of Ireland star as he led the goodbye tributes.

Rob wrote on Instagram: "Have been trying to find the words to explain what @macajw means to me… But words don’t exist for this.

"So for now I’ll just say: thank you Jimmy. For everything."

McClean received torrents of abuse in England over the years for refusing to wear poppies on a number of occasions, but he is beloved in Derry, and his return has been more than welcome.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.