Northern Ireland v Cyprus (12/06/2020)

he has what it takes to help lighten the goal burden for his country. He added: “I played the number 10 role most of the season, and sometimes on the right or up front . “With Northern Ireland we mostly play with two strikers and I’m not really a wing back, so that’s probably why I’ve played up top more. I enjoy it , but as long as I’m playing, I’ ll enjoy playing anywhere.” He admits he is really a natural winger but he will always try to do a job up front . “Hopefully I can be a goal threat by getting into good positions and making effective runs,” he added. Whyte spent time on loan at former club Oxford United last season but will return to parent club Cardiff City for the start of pre-season. He said: “The season probably didn’t go as well for me as I had hoped. I had a lot of assists, but I think I should have had more goals to my name. “I think I had a good season but it could have been better. It’s always hard going out on loan, but that was made a bit easier going back to Oxford because I knew a lot of the boys and the people around the club and the manager. “Going on loan is tough when you have to go and live somewhere else, away from your family at times. “That was my second loan after the one at Hull City. It wasn’t what I had planned, but I had to try to make the most of it .” Whyte is looking forward to getting back to pre- season once the Nations League quadruple header is over and he’s had a break with his family. “Hopefully I’ ll know where I stand after a few weeks. I want to get my head down and do well , however if it looks like I have to go out on loan again then it might be a case of finding a club where I can settle,” he admitted. “I want to get my wee girl into a school where she can settle without having to move again. I’m not wanting to think about it too much at the minute though because my only focus is on trying to do well for Northern Ireland and then get away for a week on holiday to recharge the batteries. Then I can look at everything.”

LOOKING FOR HOME COMFORTS

Wins have been hard to come by at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park in recent times, but the ex-Crusaders man believes the tide will turn. The UEFA Nations League campaign has not started the way the manager, players and supporters would have hoped, however Whyte insists the squad are working as hard as possible to produce performances the Green and White Army can be proud of. “I think we are getting a lot out of the Nations League despite the results. Obviously we want our record to be much better but it is one of those transition periods,” said Whyte. “We’re trying to get new players in amongst the boys, which is important for the future. “But , like I said, obviously we should be doing better. I don’t know why; we’re probably going through one of those patches when not much goes right . We are losing or drawing games we should be winning, we know that .” He said winning games at home is something the team should be doing to build momentum, and tonight’s game against Cyprus must be a first step towards that . “It’s maybe something we haven’t done enough of in recent times. Giving the fans something to cheer at Windsor is something that’s important to us and that’s what we want to put right as soon as possible,” he pointed out . “The one thing I can say is that it’s nothing to do with a lack of effort or workrate. Things just aren’t going right for us at the minute. It is frustrating because we know we can do better, and we know we should be doing better. “Sometimes these things happen in football but we have to keep working and hopefully things will change.” Whyte earned a move to England after dazzling displays as a right winger at Crusaders, although his game has evolved in recent years. Most of his international appearances have come as a second striker and he is determined to show

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