Bailey Peacock-Farrell reacts to facing West Ham’s Marko Arnautovic this weekend

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Northern Ireland’s Bailey Peacock-Farrell has been featuring for Northern Ireland.

Leeds United goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell has told BBC Sport that he is enjoying playing against players like Marko Arnautovic on the international stage.

Having been given the spot as Leeds’ first-choice goalkeeper earlier this year, Peacock-Farrell has now emerged as Northern Ireland’s top goalkeeper too, shunning interest from England to commit with Michael O’Neill’s side.

Having played competitively for the first time last month, Peacock-Farrell was in goal again for Northern Ireland for a UEFA Nations League double-header against Austria and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Northern Ireland lost 1-0 to Austria in Vienna on Friday night as West Ham star Arnautovic struck the winning goal, before a 2-0 defeat to Bosnia last night thanks to two Edin Dzeko goals.

With just one goal and no points in three games, Northern Ireland look set for relegation in the UEFA Nations League, but O’Neill is blooding young players in his squad – such as Peacock-Farrell.

Still only 21, Peacock-Farrell is earning valuable experience playing under Marcelo Bielsa with Leeds, as his distribution has improved markedly this season, and that can only help Northern Ireland.

Now, Peacock-Farrell has been asked by BBC Sport just what it’s like playing against Arnautovic, Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic, and he admitted that he is enjoying the step up as they’re top class players, noting that it’s a learning curve for him as international football is so much better than that in the Championship, whilst hailing star strikers Arnautovic and Dzeko after they scored against him in the last few days.

“Obviously it’s another step up, they’re top class players,” said Peacock-Farrell. “That’s what you notice when you come away, things are done that little bit quicker than in the Championship, their movements are sharper, the overall play is a lot quicker, the technical aspect of the game is raised as well. To be thrown in and to be playing against these players, obviously I’m so young and certainly quite fresh on the international scene as well as in my club career, I’m really enjoying it, being tested by these players,” he added.