Southampton midfielder Shea Charles has been praised by his Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill for his ‘real maturity’.
Having already been confirmed to have missed out on qualification to Euro 2024, Charles and Northern Ireland had a mixed international break.
They lost their first game on Friday night away at Finland 4-0, before beating Denmark, who finished top of their group, 2-0 on Monday night.
Charles played the full 90 minutes in the win over the Danes, with his performance being described as ‘majestic’. He missed the Finland drubbing though due to suspension.
O’Neill ‘delighted’ with Saints ace
Speaking ahead of the win over Denmark, relayed by the Daily Echo, O’Neill was full of praise for Charles.
“I’m always conscious we’re asking a lot of a lad who has just turned 20.
“But what he has demonstrated is real maturity, an ability to take the ball in his own half during the build-up phase.
“He’s always improving, he’s improved in certain areas out of possession. When we played Shea in March, he was captain of the Manchester City Under-21s, he hadn’t played a single minute of first-team football.
O’Neill continued on about Charles’ move to saints.
“As it stands now, he’s had quite a big move for a player of that age to go to Southampton with a large price tag, and he’s looking to establish himself in a very strong squad in the Championship.
“It’s a big career change. What he brings is constant progress. I’ve been delighted with his contribution in the campaign.”
Good to see Charles showing quality on international duty
It is good to see Charles gaining recognition on the international stage, especially from his national team manager.
He has also received praise from his Northern Ireland teammate Paddy McNair, who said he think he will go on to play at the ‘highest level’.
The defensive midfielder joined Saints from European champions Manchester City in the summer for an undisclosed fee.
Charles has so far played 14 games in the Championship, but only six of those being starts.
Hopefully, he can bring his good form from those international performances under O’Neill back to Saints.