McCarthy won many plaudits for keeping Wolverhampton in the top flight in 2010 following promotion from the Championship the previous season.
The Molineux club finished in 15th place and surprised many by securing Barclays Premier League survival with matches to spare.
McCarthy has managed in the top-flight twice before. He had a short spell at the helm with Sunderland in 2003/04 when the club suffered relegation, before he returned to the top-flight with the Black Cats in 2005/06.
After a playing career with hometown club Barnsley, Manchester City, Celtic and Lyons, central defender McCarthy joined Millwall, initially on loan as a player in 1990.
At the tender age of 32, he was appointed the Lions' manager in 1991. Three years later the club narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League.
In 1996, Barnsley born McCarthy took over as Republic of Ireland manager, the country he represented as a player, leading the team to the 2002 Wold Cup Finals, where they reached the last 16 of the competition. After guiding the side to 13th in the FIFA World Rankings, he resigned from his post in November 2002.
Soon after, he was appointed manager of Sunderland in March 2003, replacing Howard Wilkinson. With the club struggling prior to his arrival, McCarthy was unable to prevent their relegation from the Premier League and their campaign ended with a then record low of 19 points.
However, under McCarthy the Stadium of Light outfit won promotion at the first time of asking, resuming their place in the top-flight in 2005/06. The Black Cats struggled to make the grade in the top-flight once more and McCarthy left the club in March 2006.
After a few months out of the spotlight, he replaced Glenn Hoddle at Wolves in July. In his first season in charge the club was forced to sell many of their first team players. Against the odds, McCarthy led the side to the play-off semi-finals, where they suffered defeat at the hands of eventual winners West Bromwich Albion.
The following season, the club finished seventh, losing out on a play-off place only on goal difference. The 2008/09 season started brightly for Wolves and McCarthy, and rarely did they look out of place at the top of the Championship.
The club won promotion to the Barclays Premier League on 18th April 2009, courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers, with the Championship title being secured the following week. McCarthy was honoured for his achievements, winning the Championship Manager of the Season Award.
And the former Republic of Ireland manager went one better by keeping Wolves in the top flight despite many pundits predicting instant relegation.
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