Soccer

Playing against Germany a learning experience for Paddy McNair

Germany's IIkay Gundogan battles for the ball with Northern Ireland's Paddy McNair (left) and Corry Evans (right) during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying match at the HDI Arena, Hannover 
Germany's IIkay Gundogan battles for the ball with Northern Ireland's Paddy McNair (left) and Corry Evans (right) during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying match at the HDI Arena, Hannover  Germany's IIkay Gundogan battles for the ball with Northern Ireland's Paddy McNair (left) and Corry Evans (right) during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying match at the HDI Arena, Hannover 

PADDY McNair says experiences like sharing the pitch with peerless Germany on Tuesday night will make him a better player.

After his meteoric rise with Manchester United and Northern Ireland, McNair experienced the first rough patch of his career in recent months. The advent of Jose Mourinho saw him deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford and he moved on to Sunderland and, despite his Premier League credentials, he started on the bench in Hannover in the Group C clash.

Still, he came in for the closing stages and helped keep a Germany side that was in total command at bay until the finish.

“We didn’t get the start we wanted going 2-0 down after 20 minutes but I think there’s a lot of positives to take from it,” said McNair.

“To keep it to 2-0 to the end against a very good Germany side isn’t too bad.

“You’re playing against world class players and it’s only going to make me a better player and the team as well. We’ll look at it when we meet up next month and see what we can take from it into the Azerbijan game.

“You never want to lose, but I think they deserved to win on the night and you just have to accept that sometimes.”

The 2-0 win at the HDI Stadium extended Germany’s record in World Cup qualifiers – they’ve lost just two since 1934. Since this campaign began Joachim Low’s side have beaten Norway and the Czech Republic 3-0, so the North can take a crumb of comfort from only losing by two.

“I think it’s going to take a miracle for anyone to take points off them; they’re the best team in the world,” said McNair.

“The way they keep the ball… All of the players are on the same wavelength and they’re all world class playing at top clubs.

“We’ve got Azerbijan next month which is a massive game. If we win that we’re second going into the qualifiers in March.”