'McNair should be playing in the Premier League' : O'Neill
Sunderland midfielder impresses for NI on tour of Central America
Paddy McNair is back in the transfer shop window
And after his man-of-the-match performance in Northern Ireland’s scoreless draw with Panama, the 23-year-old’s hoping to finally get that dream move back to the Premier League.
The Ballyclare man is still wanted by Brighton who have already had a ÂŁ2m bid rejected by Sunderland.
After relegation to League One, the Black Cats appear resigned to losing their prized asset.
And NI boss Michael O’Neill believes McNair is simply too good for the third tier.
“Paddy McNair is a Premier League player – there is no doubt about it,” he said.
“The reason he is not a Premier League player is down to a cruel injury in all honesty.
“He joined Sunderland as a Premier Club but he got a bad cruciate injury and his game time was limited.”
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland will now move to Costa Rica for the second game of their summer tour.
The match takes place on Sunday.