| Euro 2024 qualifying – Group H: Denmark v Northern Ireland |
|---|
| Venue: Parken Stadium, Copenhagen Date: Friday, 16 June Kick-off: 19:45 BST |
| Coverage: Live on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds; live text commentary, report and reaction on BBC Sport website & app |
Michael O’Neill will not exactly be at the stage of picking up the phone to Steve Clarke, but the Northern Ireland manager might soon have a similar conundrum to solve as his Scotland counterpart.
Clarke, as Gordon Strachan was before him, has been faced with how best to utilise two outstanding left-backs in Liverpool’s Andy Robertson and Kierney Tierney of Arsenal.
While Strachan experimented with Tierney at right-back in a back four, the current boss of the Tartan Army has often adapted a 3-5-2 formation and played the former Celtic man as a left-sided centre-back, with Robertson at left wing-back.
Nobody is at all suggesting that Northern Ireland youngsters Conor Bradley of Liverpool, winner of 12 caps so far, and Trai Hume of Sunderland, capped twice, are operating at the level of the Scottish pair.
However, the rapid rise the two natural right-backs have made over the last two years could soon elevate their importance within the international squad to a degree that makes boss O’Neill feel he has to find a place for both of them in his team.
“Yes, it’s a fair comparison,” said former Northern Ireland international Chris Brunt when asked about the similarities of having two strong players in the same position.
And Brunt, a stalwart of the side during most of O’Neill’s first reign as Northern Ireland manager, gave an interesting insight into how his old boss might approach the situation.
“It is something Michael always looked at before. You have to get the players that are playing at the highest level on a regular basis into your team wherever you can,” he continued.
“I think there are ways and means of getting them into the team and if Michael wants to do it, he’ll find a way. Definitely.”
Bradley ‘can play as an attacker’
Bradley has shown huge potential since making his Liverpool and Northern Ireland debuts in 2021, playing mostly as a right wing-back for his country. He has excelled on loan at League One Bolton Wanderers this season, contributing eight goals and seven assists in a side that won the EFL Trophy and reached the play-offs.
Hume, meanwhile, is a later developer but has made light of his jump in levels when signing for Sunderland from Linfield in January 2022. Indeed, he has been an ever-present for Tony Mowbray’s side since Boxing Day, performing consistently well as they reached the Championship play-offs.
Brunt, who himself played out of position for Northern Ireland at times, believes both players offer enough versatility to merit places in the starting XI – while at the same time acknowledging the risk of overhyping young players.
“Trai has played right-back, left-back and centre-half for Sunderland this season,” the ex-West Brom man commented.
“If Michael plays a back five or a back three, and it means slotting Trai in as a third centre-half and Conor playing wing-back, I am sure that is an option.
“However, watching Conor play for Bolton and the goals he scores, I don’t think it would be out of the question to push him a bit higher up the pitch, as a wide right, and play Trai at right-back. Conor has got all the attributes to play as a more attacking player.”
Hume has ‘grabbed opportunity with both hands’
An integral part of the Northern Ireland side that reached Euro 2016 before cruelly missing the finals through injury, Brunt, naturally a left-sided midfielder, often played in an unfamiliar left-back role for his country.
He said it was something he actually enjoyed – “I was more involved in the game and able to pick passes from deep positions” – and stressed the importance to any youngster of being happy to play out of position if called upon.
“If the manager tells you he needs you to do a job somewhere, then you just do it. That is something Michael will be trying to instil in the younger lads coming through now.”
Looking more closely at the performances of Bradley and Hume this season, Brunt was effusive in his praise of both.
“Conor has backed it up this season by going out on loan. Fair play to him, he has put himself out there, had a good spell at Bolton, been looked after well and played in a good team that has been successful.
“He is fearless, he is a hundred miles an hour and never stops running. He is like a breath of fresh air, really. For such a young lad to go on to an international stage the way he has, without any fear or reservations, has been really good.
“Trai has grabbed his opportunity at Sunderland with both hands. Sunderland are a good team, I know [their manager] Tony Mowbray well. I played for him at West Brom. If Trai is getting in Tony’s team and playing week in, week out then he is obviously a very good footballer.
“At the level Trai is playing at and given how well Sunderland did this year, he is going to be one of the first ones in Michael’s thoughts. He is playing regularly every week in the Championship in a team that got into the play-offs. Have we got anyone playing any higher than that in his position? Probably not.”
