Michael O'Neill believes Northern Ireland new boy Lee Bonis has similar qualities to Shayne Lavery.
The Larne man has been called up to the senior squad for the first time after impressing O'Neill during the training camps in England ahead of the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers against Denmark and Kazakhstan.
Bonis as well as teenagers Callum Marshall and Aaron Donnelly are included for the first time as part of a youthful squad for the crucial doubleheader with O'Neill hamstrung due to the number of high-profile absentees.
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But the Northern Ireland boss has seen enough from Bonis to suggest he has a bright future ahead of him in a similar way to that of former Linfield man Lavery.
"Having watched him in the Irish League he's a player who likes to do work off the ball as well.
"He runs and he presses and he gives defenders a hard time.
"A big part of his game is his workrate, he's not dissimilar to Shayne Lavery in that aspect.
"It's hard to judge Lee because he is a little bit older and he's never been away and he's really only been 18 months as a full-time professional at Larne.
"Where he's come from there to there, the next challenge is if he can make that improvement again in the next 12 to 18 months. I think we'll see a much more polished player, and a player that has really got something to offer.
"Every team is looking for a striker that can press at the top end of the pitch and that's one of the qualities that he possesses.
"It is similar to Shayne and I think that was a big attraction in Blackpool taking him initially.
"He knows he needs to improve on other aspects like his link-up play and tidy that up, but I think he has the attributes to get the chance to play, whether that be in England or Scotland.
"He's a really nice lad who has blended in really well and gets his head down and works away.
"What you do see in training is that he loves to score goals, which is no bad thing."
Jonny Evans is set to play for the first time since O'Neill returned to the job after missing the March qualifiers against San Marino and Finland due to injury.
The centre back has battled back to full fitness after a frustrating season which ended in relegation from the Premier League with Leicester City.
"Jonny is very disappointed for them to go down and he is in a situation where he is out of contract as well," said O'Neill.
"I am sure if he was playing his football elsewhere next season he would have liked to have left Leicester in a slightly different way but he was just unfortunate this season.
"I think by his own admission, he pushed very hard to get back because I think he does make a difference to Leicester’s team.
"It is big for us to have him back, obviously we missed him in March and I believe that Jonny still has a lot of football left in him, both with Northern Ireland and wherever he chooses to play his football next season."
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