Southampton midfielder Shea Charles has been told he will play at the ‘highest level’ by his Northern Ireland teammate Paddy McNair.
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.
Int’l teammate on ‘brilliant’ Saints ace
Speaking during the international break, relayed by the Daily Echo, McNair spoke of his praise for Charles.
“I think Shea is a brilliant player, I think he can play at the highest level.
“When he came in under Ian Baraclough, you could see the ability he had, and in every game he plays, he performs really well.
“He has that composure about him and he makes the game look easy.”
Good to see Charles showing ability on international stage
It is good to see Charles gaining recognition on the international stage.
The 20-year-old joined Saints from European champions Manchester City in the summer for an undisclosed fee.
He 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 back to Saints.
He has also previously spoken of how much of an easy option it was to move to Southampton.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Charles said: “It’s my boyhood club so it wasn’t easy but it was clear that Southampton was the right option for me.
“The manager plays a good style of football and it really suits me so that really attracted me to the club.
“I think the move is huge because I’m playing against men every week which coming into the (international) camp allows me to come in and go straight into the games and be able to play like I like to play.”