Institute McClean began his career at
Institute, making one first team appearance as a substitute against
Glentoran in the
2007–08 Irish Premier League season. Institute decided not to renew his contract in the summer of 2008.
Derry City McClean made his
Derry City first team debut on 1 July 2008 in a
League Cup tie at home to
Bohemians, opening the scoring in a 4–1 win. He made his
League of Ireland debut for
Derry City as a substitute for
Kevin McHugh playing against
Cork City at
Turner's Cross on 8 September 2008. In his first full season with Derry in the
2009 season the club suffered serious financial problems and the players went weeks without payment. During this period in November 2009 McClean held talks with English
League Two side
Lincoln City, but this did not result in a contract, after McClean felt
homesick. Derry finished the season in 4th place but were expelled by the FAI due to breaking regulations by holding secondary, unofficial contracts with players. They were invited to join the
League of Ireland First Division. In December 2009 McClean was one of the first four players to sign for the new
Derry City, along with
David McDaid, and the McEleney brothers —
Shane and
Patrick. McClean scored eight goals in 33 appearances in the
2010 season helping Derry return to the top-flight. McClean began to attract more interest from English clubs in the
2011 season with
Peterborough United making some unsuccessful bids. He also attracted interest from
Everton. In August 2011 Derry accepted an offer from
Sunderland for McClean.
Sunderland McClean joined
Sunderland on 9 August 2011 for a fee of £350,000, signing a three-year contract. Upon signing McClean, manager
Steve Bruce indicated that he was "one for the future", and also hinted that he would be in the reserve team until Christmas. His form in the development squad was capped by a reserve-debut goal in a 4–3 win over
Tyne–Wear derby rivals
Newcastle United, earning him a place on the Sunderland bench. Despite never making an appearance under Bruce, he made his debut for the first team in
Martin O'Neill's first game in charge on 11 December, a 2–1 win over
Blackburn Rovers and was credited for the comeback which saw his side overturn a 1–0 deficit, after coming on as a substitute for
Jack Colback in the second half. McClean made his first start for Sunderland in their 1–0 victory over
Manchester City on 1 January 2012, and scored his first senior goal for the Black Cats in a 4–1 win against
Wigan Athletic two days later; on 8 January, he scored and assisted
Sebastian Larsson in a 2–0 win at
Peterborough United in the third round of the
FA Cup. McClean provided the assist for
Stéphane Sessègnon's opening goal in Sunderland's 2–0 victory over
Swansea City on 21 January, and got another assist in the equalising goal for
Fraizer Campbell in the next round of the cup against
Middlesbrough on 29 January. Ahead of the replay for that fixture, Middlesbrough manager
Tony Mowbray used McClean as an example for young players to follow. McClean turned provider again in Sunderland's 3–0 victory over
Norwich City, assisting Sessègnon's goal, then scored the only goal in a win over
Stoke City on 4 February in snowy conditions at the
Britannia Stadium. A week later, he opened the scoring in Sunderland's 2–1 home loss to
Arsenal after
Per Mertesacker injured himself. On 23 March, Sunderland announced that McClean had signed a new contract intended to force him to stay at the club until the summer of 2015. A day later, he helped them to a 3–1 victory over relegation-threatened
Queens Park Rangers by assisting the opening goal for
Nicklas Bendtner and later scoring by himself. McClean won Sunderland's Young Player of the Year Award, at the end of the 2011–12 season. In August 2012, McClean scored his first two goals of the
2012–13 in the
second round of the
League Cup against
Morecambe. He also scored in the third round as well, scoring in the 82nd minute away at
Milton Keynes Dons. He scored his first Premier League goal of the season in a 3–0 home defeat of
Reading on 11 December, exactly twelve months to the day that he made his Sunderland debut. McClean fell out of favour with the Sunderland supporters after he refused to wear a poppy in the run-up to
Remembrance Day, which led to his departure in August 2013. Speaking in 2015 McClean says he was 'hung out to dry' by Sunderland.
Wigan Athletic McClean signed for
Championship club
Wigan Athletic on a three-year contract on 8 August 2013. Three days later he made his debut in the
2013 FA Community Shield at
Wembley Stadium, starting in a 2–0 loss to
Manchester United. He scored his first goal for Wigan on 26 January 2014 in the FA Cup fourth round, a winner in a 2–1 victory against
Crystal Palace. He had scored on 18 December against
Sheffield Wednesday, but that match was abandoned in heavy rain and his goal was struck from the records; it was the only goal of the game by the 59th minute in which it was called off. McClean played in 49 matches in
2013–14, scoring four goals as Wigan reached the Championship play-offs where they lost 2–1 to
Queens Park Rangers. In
2014–15, Wigan finished in 23rd place and were relegated to
League One.
West Bromwich Albion , 2017 Turning down a move to
New York Red Bulls, on 22 June 2015 McClean signed for
West Bromwich Albion on a three-year deal for a fee believed to be around £1.5 million. In July, on the team's tour of the United States, he turned his back on the
Flag of England while the British national anthem "
God Save the Queen" was played before a match against the
Charleston Battery, which resulted in a verbal warning from manager
Tony Pulis. He made his competitive debut on 10 August as West Brom began the season against
Manchester City at
The Hawthorns. Booed by his team's own fans whenever he touched the ball, he was replaced by
Claudio Yacob at half-time, as his team lost 3–0. On 17 October, after a 1–0 home win over his former team Sunderland, he taunted the visiting fans, leading to confrontations between both sets of players; he was given a warning by the FA over his conduct. He scored his first goal for the Baggies on 5 December, a 39th-minute headed equaliser in a 1–1 home draw against
Tottenham Hotspur. Two weeks later, he was sent off in the first half of a 2–1 home loss to
Bournemouth for a challenge on
Adam Smith; teammate
Salomón Rondón was also dismissed in added time. He played in 42 matches in
2015–16 as West Brom finished in 14th position. His first league goal of the season came in a 4–2 win over
West Ham United on 17 September 2016. He was given an improved contract extension until 2019, with the option of a further year. Tony Pulis said: "James thoroughly deserves this and has worked hard to achieve it." He angered
Watford captain
Troy Deeney with his tackling in a 3–1 win on 3 December 2016. He played 42 times as the Baggies finished in 10th. Albion were rock bottom of the Premier League nearly all season and despite a late resurgence they were relegated to the Championship.
Stoke City McClean joined
Stoke City in July 2018 on a four-year contract for a fee of £5 million. McClean made his Stoke debut on 5 August 2018 against
Leeds United. He scored his first goal for Stoke on 25 August 2018 in a 2–0 win against
Hull City. In September 2018 McClean suffered a broken arm whilst on international duty with Ireland. McClean played 45 times in
2018–19, scoring three goals as Stoke finished in 16th place. It did not work as Stoke had a poor start to the season, failing to win any of their first ten matches and Jones was replaced by
Michael O'Neill in November who played McClean in his natural left-wing position. McClean became a key player under O'Neill and his form helped the team pick up results to move out of the relegation zone. He ended the campaign with seven goals from 37 appearances as Stoke avoided relegation and finished in 15th position. Following the end of the season he was voted
Player of the Year by supporters. In March 2020, McClean uploaded an
Instagram post in which he said he was giving his children a history lesson, while wearing a
balaclava, which some viewers believed to be in reference to the
Irish Republican Army (IRA). McClean was fined two weeks' wages by Stoke, apologised, and agreed to delete his account. McClean said in 2023 that he regretted the upload. In the
2020–21 season, McClean made 29 appearances, scoring two goals as Stoke finished in 14th position. During the season McClean had disciplinary problems as he breached COVID-19 protocols by going to a gym during lockdown. He also angered O'Neill in March 2021 after he played for Ireland despite recovering from a foot injury.
Return to Wigan Athletic On 17 August 2021 McClean re-joined
Wigan Athletic on a one-year contract. McClean claimed he turned down
Bolton Wanderers in order to sign for Wigan. However, Bolton Manager
Ian Evatt stated this was false; Bolton had no interest in signing McClean, and McClean's agent had rung daily for three weeks begging Bolton to give him a contract. On 16 October he scored twice in a 4–0 win against Bolton with the match nearly being abandoned after he scored when Bolton fans threw bottles and other objects at him, followed by Wigan fans ripping down advertising boards, the match stopping for more than 10 minutes as police dealt with the situation. Having been promoted as Champions, McClean signed a new one-year contract extension at the end of the
2021–22 season. His first goal of the new season came on 6 August 2022, in a 1–1 draw away to
Norwich City at
Carrow Road.
Wrexham On 4 August 2023, it was announced that McClean had signed for
EFL League Two side
Wrexham for an undisclosed fee. McClean's first season with the club saw him make 44 appearances in all competitions, scoring 3 goals as his side were promoted to
EFL League One following their second placed season. He signed a new contract with Wrexham to the end of the 2025–26 season. In the 2024–25 League One season, McClean made 42 appearances, scored 4 goals, played approximately 3,407 minutes, and received 11 yellow cards. McClean was named club captain for Wrexham for the 2024–25 season. On 16 January 2025, in a 2–1 loss away to local rivals
Shrewsbury Town, stewards made a human wall between home fans and McClean when he went to take a throw-in, and objects were launched in his direction. The
English Football League investigated the incidents, banned several Shrewsbury fans from the club, and charged them with criminal offences. McClean called the town of
Shrewsbury a "cesspit full of inbreds" in online comments that he later deleted. On 26 April 2025, he captained the side to promotion to the
EFL Championship, after their 3–0 win at home to
Charlton Athletic confirmed them as
2024–25 EFL League One runners-up to earn their third consecutive promotion. On 8 August 2025, McClean extended his contract with the club until 2027.
Return to Derry City On 17 January 2026, McClean returned to his hometown club
Derry City on a multi-year contract, joining his brother
Patrick who signed for the club the day before. On 31 January 2026, McClean made his second debut for Derry, providing the assist for
Darragh Markey's winner in a 1–0 victory over
Shamrock Rovers in the
2026 President of Ireland's Cup at
Tallaght Stadium. Having made 11 appearances in all competitions, McClean revealed the day after his 37th birthday in April 2026 that he had suffering from hip issues for several years, that he had recently been told by a specialist that he had
"no business being on a football pitch" and that he believed he would require surgery if he was to continue his playing career, with a trip to England for a final assessment set to determine the outcome. A few days later he revealed a positive outcome from the assessment stating ''"I was expecting surgery or retirement but that wasn't the case. He gave me a bit of hope. He gave me an injection and that should hopefully give me a wee bit of relief and in about a month to six weeks time, make me feel a wee bit like a footballer again. So it went a lot better than I thought."'' ==International career==