Manchester United midfielder Ethan Galbraith has received huge praise from Northern Ireland boss Ian Baraclough.
The youngster has been promoted to the senior squad for the upcoming European Championship playoff match against Slovakia at home.
And Baraclough believes Galbraith shares similarities to two Barcelona and Spain legends, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez.
“Ethan, over the last six months, we’ve seen a maturity in his play and the way he goes about his work day to day,” he told reporters.
“He’s excelled with the Under-21s and he’s a different type of player to anyone we’ve got in the senior squad.
He added: “Hopefully it’s the start of a long career for him. Hopefully, he relishes his time from the start in this squad, rather than coming in from the Under-21 squad.
“He has earned his right with the way he has gone about his play for the last six months.
“Not to put too much pressure on his shoulders, but he’s our little [Andres] Iniesta or Xavi, someone who can get on the ball and manipulate the ball and find positive passes. Over the coming years, he will give us a different flavour to the squad.
“He’s been brought in a couple of times and made his debut against Luxembourg. For him to be picked outright, it’s a big moment for him, but he’s ready for it.
“He’s gone and signed a new deal with Man United and you can see there’s a real self-confidence about him.
“It’s great someone like that can be a shining light for the young players, knowing there are chances for them if they perform at their clubs.”
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