O’Neill gives me ‘freedom’ to score goals – Price

Fifa World Cup qualifier: Slovakia v Northern Ireland

Venue: Kosice, Slovakia Date: Friday, 14 November Kick-off: 19:45 GMT

Northern Ireland midfielder Isaac Price says the “freedom” that manager Michael O’Neill gives him to get into attacking positions has contributed significantly to his international goalscoring exploits.

The 22-year-old has found the net 10 times in just 26 appearances, including a hat-trick in a 5-0 Nations League victory against Bulgaria at Windsor Park in October 2024.

The West Bromwich Albion player is one of an exciting crop of young players who have Northern Ireland fans dreaming of a potential trip to North America for next year’s World Cup finals.

“If you look at my career before [I played for] Northern Ireland I didn’t score many goals at all,” Price told BBC Sport NI.

“I had 18 months or so where I only scored one goal and I probably played a little bit deeper and probably didn’t believe that I had the goals in me.

“Michael told me he thought I’m an attacking threat, I should get in the box and then I had 12 months where the ball wouldn’t stop going into the net.

Northern Ireland’s final two upcoming World Cup qualifiers see them face Slovakia away on Friday and then host Luxembourg in Belfast on Monday as they aim to secure the second place in their group which would secure progression to the play-offs next March.

O’Neill’s men will likely be able to fall back on their Nations League group success last year to advance should they fail to clinch runner-up spot.

They must face the Slovakians without Ethan Galbraith, while Brodie Spencer, Shea Charles and Ali McCann are all on the injured list.

“Two really important games for us. We’re coming in a few bodies down from previous camps and they’re a big miss for us but it’s a great opportunity for other players to step up,” added the former Everton and Standard Liege player.

“They’ve been key players for us over the past 18 months to a year and they’re all doing really well at club level and when they come here they look even better.

“We know we’ve got a tough test ahead in Slovakia. They have quality and we beat them 2-0 at home so we know they’ll be looking for some revenge.”

The 22-year-old made his international debut as a substitute against San Marino in March 2023 but says the tight-knit nature of the group and the consistency in style of play makes it easy for new arrivals to bed in.

“It’s a little bit nerve-racking when you’re young. You maybe haven’t been around these environments before but it pushes your career on and it’s easy to settle into this team, it’s quite a young team. I think it’s just a great group of lads in general.

“The way we want to play is pretty clear. There’s been a consistency in the way we’ve played since I’ve been here.”

Having made their mark on the international stage with some impressive performances, Price believes the youthful squad can thrive on any pressure and the next step is to qualify for tournaments.

“There’s a confidence and an eagerness and belief that we’re good enough to play in those tournaments and after the past six to 12 months there’s probably a bit of an expectation on us now.

“Some people on the outside looking in probably didn’t think that we had the quality that we have but I think it’s good for us – the higher the expectation gets the better we’ll get.