Ian Baraclough is backing Joel Cooper to grab his chance in the Northern Ireland squad with both hands after "hitting the ground running" with new club Oxford United.
Cooper, who joined the League One club from Linfield on a three year deal last month, is the only new face in Baraclough's first squad as national manager.
And the 24-year-old, who travelled to the Euro 2016 finals as a training player, is being tipped to make an instant impact after being handed his chance with the senior set-up.
Northern Ireland face a Nations League double header against Romania in Bucharest on September 4 followed by a home clash with Norway on September 7.
“Joel was made up when I called him last night - he was delighted,” said Baraclough.
"He’s a character and many of the other players know him after travelling with the group to the last Euros.
“He has the personality and certainly the ability to go and hold his own in this squad. I’m looking forward to getting to work with him.”
Cooper, who also played for Glenavon and Ballyclare Comrades, has impressed in his short time with Oxford so far and featured in friendly wins over Woking, Oxford City and Banbury United at the weekend.
Baraclough said: “I know from having spoken to the coaching staff at Oxford that he’s hit the ground running there and impressed them immensely.
“He has turned up in great shape and scored over the weekend in friendlies. He’s even better than the player they thought they were signing.
"I think Joel has a bright future. He's got his move to Oxford, they're delighted with him and has started a couple of pre-season games. He wants more and he's hungry.”
Northern Ireland's full squad to face Romania and Norway is as follows...
