International football
Isaac Price swapped Everton for Standard Liege in the summer
Trai Hume has become an important player for Sunderland
Issac Price's 'brave' move was praised by Michael O'Neill
Michael O'Neill tried to sign Trai Hume during his time at Stoke City
Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has hailed the ‘brave’ decision of teenage midfielder Isaac Price to move from Everton to Standard Liege and backed another of his young guns Trai Hume to continue to shine at Sunderland.
With so many experienced players injured throughout the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, O’Neill has had to throw youngsters in sooner than he may have liked but it’s clear ahead of the upcoming games in Slovenia and Kazakhstan he is confident in what Hume and Price can offer him.
Former Linfield and Ballymena United defender Hume has become a regular for Championship outfit Sunderland while 19-year-old midfielder Price, who is capable of playing as a forward, is enjoying consistent game time with his new club in Belgium.
“Isaac has made a brave career decision,” said O’Neill. “He’s seen the benefit of young British players going abroad, that was in his thinking.
“Everton wanted to keep him but I think he wanted to get out and play first team football. I think he’d have got that had he stayed at Everton and gone into the loan market. It’s very difficult for any young player to break through in the Premier League — even now, only three games in, we’re talking about pressure and ‘every point’s precious’.
Trai Hume has become an important player for Sunderland
“Since his move he’s done well, I’ve watched his five games back. He’s started those five for Standard Liege, which has been a little bit of a challenging start, I think two draws
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