Isaac Price's pride as Northern Ireland legends come into his sights
Isaac Price has made a huge impact at international level since pulling the Northern Ireland jersey on for the first time some two years ago.
After coming off the bench to make his debut against San Marino in March 2023 Price bagged his first goal the following September in a 4-2 defeat to Slovenia.
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The West Brom man has gone on to find the net eight times for his country with his next goal set to be something of a landmark as it pulls him level with some iconic names of Northern Irish football.
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Billy Bingham, Norman Whiteside, George Best and Gareth McAuley all bagged nine goals in a green and white shirt and Price said to equal their record would be a very proud moment for him.
"Yeah, obviously those names are legends, I don't think I'm anywhere near that, but obviously scoring goals is something that every player wants to do," said the 21-year-old.
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"It's one of the hardest things to do in football and if I get to score another goal and join them obviously it'd be an incredibly proud moment for me and my family.
"To join their names would be unbelievable. A lot of it's down to the manager, he's put a lot of trust in me since the start, I probably played a lot more games than I would if it was under another manager.
"I've played a lot of different positions both at club and here. At my club I play a little bit deeper, I'm more involved in the game but I don't get the goals and the assists I do when I come away with Northern Ireland.
"I feel like I'm going to get chances and score goals here. It's a balance between having an effect on the game and playing well but also keeping the numbers high and scoring goals because that's the main thing."
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That adaptability is a key point for Michael O'Neill, who saw something special in Price from the first time he saw him play.
"I remember going to watch him play, I think it was a European Youth League game for Everton against, it might have been Feyenoord," recalled the Northern Ireland boss.
"I just liked what I saw and thought we'll bring him into the group and see. Players catch your eye and Isaac caught everyone's eye in training after that first call-up.
"We felt it was right to put him on the pitch and he hasn't let us down. We have a very adaptable player, a clever player, but athletic as well.
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"I look at Isaac on the same level as any of our young players in that he has all the attributes to play the game at the highest level.
"He's doing it the right way because I think to make the choice he made to go abroad at that point in his career. The easier thing would have been to sign a long-term deal with Everton, which he had the option to do and be that loan player that goes here and there every different season.
"He chose a more difficult route to do that so that tells you about what he's like as a lad. He's still got a lot of development in him as well but it's nice when a player comes in and feels comfortable and that's what he's shown."
After the narrow defeat to Denmark on Saturday Price is looking forward to another tough test at home to Iceland tonight as they build towards the start of the World Cup qualifiers.
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"As a group we feel like we can compete with the big nations, we've shown it before," said Price.
"We spoke about possession after the game in Copenhagen. With this game tomorrow, there'll be a different expectation, maybe one to take the initiative in. We feel like we can go and score some goals and hopefully get a good result."
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