Tom Flanagan has started just three League One games for Sunderland this season but he has caught the eye of Michael O’Neill.
It has been a testing season at club level for Sunderland defender Tom Flanagan but it seems he has the full support of Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill for now.
Flanagan played the full 90 minutes in a 3-2 friendly victory over the Czech Republic on Monday night and O’Neill was keen to single out the centre-half for praise after the game, in quotes reported by the BBC.
“Ton Flanagan was very good,” said the manager, who was thrilled to see a number of fringe players come into a settled team and stake their place.
“He and Jonny [Evans] and Craig [Cathcart] had a lot of big physical threats to deal with and a lot of big balls coming into the box which they dealt with pretty well.”
Flanagan might be a 27-year-old who has started just three of Sunderland’s 11 League One games so far this season but O’Neill obviously believes that the later-bloomer has plenty to offer in the international set up.
The former MK Dons and Burton Albion stopper impressed the manager during Northern Ireland’s 1-0 win against Luxembourg last month too, keeping a clean sheet while earning his first ever cap.
The challenge now is for Flanagan to force his way into O’Neill’s plans for a competitive fixture with both of his starts coming in friendlies so far.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
