Euro 2024 qualifying group H: Northern Ireland v Denmark (Windsor Park, 7.45pm Monday)
SOME lessons are harder to take than others and although Northern Ireland’s young players have gained valuable experience, much of it has been bitter, acknowledged Paddy McNair:
“They are learning how tough international football is. Each team in the group, their players are at a very high level and coming up against them is tough.
“They just have to keep improving away from international football and when they are here, it’s about learning as much as they can.”
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Denmark have proven themselves the best in this section, ensuring top spot by defeating Slovenia on Friday, but the versatile 28-year-old still believes the hosts can add to their only points, which were taken from wins over whipping boys San Marino:
“Any time you put on the green shirt at Windsor Park you want to give the fans something to cheer about.
“History shows we can beat big teams here and we just have to give it our all and hopefully a good performance can turn into a win.”
McNair might be the latest man to don the captain’s armband, in the continued absence of the injured Jonny Evans, after George Saville won it on the occasion of his 50th cap in Helsinki.
The Middlesbrough player acknowledged the captaincy has been a long-time ambition of his: “Coming to Windsor Park as a four- or five-year-old boy, thinking that one day you could captain your country, that’s always a dream. If that opportunity did arrive I’d be very happy.”
He’s already had to show leadership to younger colleagues as defeats have piled up, especially after early optimism:
“When you see the group when it was drawn we were confident coming into it. It just hasn't gone the way we would have hoped…
“You just have to keep reassuring them that if they keep doing the right things eventually it will turn for us. At the minute it is tough but we've got another game and it can be a stepping stone to get us back to where we should be.”
