Northern Ireland v Italy (15/11/2021)

DID YOU KNOW? Paddy McNair was aged 19 years and 335 days when he was given his senior international debut by former manager Michael O’Neill in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Scotland at Hampden Park on 25 March 2015. At the time of his first Northern Ireland appearance McNair had played 14 matches for Manchester United’s first team. Prior to Friday night McNair had started 40 of his 51 games for Northern Ireland and had been substituted in 12 of them. He has only been an unused substitute on nine occasions, the last being against Luxembourg in September 2019. Paddy’s full record as a senior international is: P W D L W% D% L% 51 18 12 21 35% 24% 41%

Midfielder/defender Paddy McNair reached the 50-cap milestone for Northern Ireland in the World Cup qualifier against Switzerland last month – and proudly donned the captain’s armband in Geneva. Here Marshall Gillespie looks back at Paddy’s Northern Ireland career to date.

McNair has scored five goals for Northern Ireland, four of which have been away from home. His only one at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park came in the 5-1 defeat to Norway in September 2020, Ian Baraclough’s first game as manager.

When the midfielder/ defender found the net for the first time in a full international

in June 2019 he became the first

Middlesbrough player to score for Northern Ireland in 39 years, the previous one being winger Terry Cochrane against England at Wembley in May 1980.

Paddy had played 3616 minutes in his 51 outings for his country prior to the Lithuania game on Friday night . He had played the most minutes in friendly internationals, 1299, followed closely by 1095 in Euro qualifying matches. The UEFA Nations League has seen him clock up 635 minutes and the remaining 587 were in World Cup qualifying games.

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NIR V ITA