Michael O'Neill is well aware of the threat Rasmus Hojlund will pose Northern Ireland, but he has backed his defence to deal with the Denmark frontman.
The 20-year-old is one of Europe's hottest prospects with Manchester United rumoured to be one of the clubs keepings tabs on him.
Hojlund has bagged five goals for his country in the opening two Euro 2024 qualifiers against Finland and Kazakhstan earning him comparisons with Erling Haaland.
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O'Neill feels Jonny Evans and Craig Cathcart's experience of coming up against the likes of Haaland will stand them in good stead as they bid to keep the Atalanta striker quiet in the Parken Stadium on Friday night
"What Hojlund is is something that has come back into the game, he's a proper No 9; he's physical, he plays on the shoulder, and has the power and strength to play in behind He always wants to threaten in behind," said the Northern Ireland boss.
"But with that as well, he has the ability to take chances when they come his way.
"We've seen Haaland score 50-odd goals this season, which is a phenomenal amount, I don't think you see that in Serie A to the same extent, the numbers are never quite as high in Italy.
"So Hojlund is playing in a league that is more difficult for strikers to operate in, it's maybe not as open as the Premier League can be at times, but he's a player who, at his age, must be on the wishlist of every big club in Europe.
"Can we deal with that? I think Jonny and Craig have always dealt with top strikers. Craig has played a lot of his football in the Premier League as well, you're faced with that week in, week out, and that's a big help when you come to play international football, you're not spooked by the player you are playing against.
"They've played against the best, from Lewandowski to Aguero, so it will be a challenge because there is a freshness about this player, a newness. He's maybe not a household name yet, but he's certainly well on the way to being one.
"That's what international football is all about. It's about stepping up, measuring yourself against these players and if we were to play a young centre-half I think it's the same challenge.
"If we overtalk about Denmark and what they have, we may create a little bit of insecurity.
"We're going to have to deal with Hojlund on the night, and we have to be cute in how we set up.
"He does like that space in behind so we have to make sure that we give him as little an opportunity to get into those spaces."
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