He said: "He's a fantastic player. He joined us for a pre-season tournament in South Africa last season, did really well and fitted in no problem.

"With him playing for Sunderland I haven't had the chance to see much of him but speaking to people there they have been saying how well he has played for them. It's great for Northern Ireland, there seems to be a lot of good young players coming through and hopefully they can qualify for the (European) Championships next year."