Man City teenager surprised by NI debut but eager for more opportunities and caps

The class and composure of Shea Charles’ Northern Ireland debut against Greece shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone with a passing appreciation of the sport.

Undoubtedly it was a special moment for the teenager and a proud one for his Newry-born mum watching on from the main stand at Windsor Park on Thursday night.

But when you’ve trained under the forensic tutelage of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, it's a fair bet that a late cameo in South Belfast falls well within your comfort zone.

Clutching his match worn shirt while conducting media interviews afterwards - “I’m framing it and putting it in my room” - Charles said: “I didn’t expect to be playing but I’ll take every opportunity that comes.

“The manager (Ian Baraclough) told me to go on and do my thing and that’s what I did. It was a very proud moment. My mum was at the game, so I’m sure she was well happy.

“It was disappointing to lose, but making your international debut is one of the biggest highs you can have. It was a great feeling to come on and the crowd was brilliant.

“Because it was near the end of the game there was quite a bit of space and I could use it to get on the ball. I just enjoyed myself out there.”

Charles was the eleventh debutant of Baraclough’s reign and the 18-year-old didn’t disappoint with an assured 15 minutes as a substitute in Thursday's frustrating 1-0 Nations League defeat to Greece.

The versatile midfielder was a regular for City’s U23 team last season but has yet to kick a ball in anger at senior level with the Premier League giants.

However, training with Guardiola’s first team squad and mixing with the likes of Rodri and De Bruyne on a regular basis offers an insight into how highly he is rated at the Etihad.

“Whenever I