Paddy McNair says the thought of more big games and high-octane moments with Northern Ireland kept him going when he was at his lowest ebb because of injury.
McNair spent a frustrating year out of the game after rupturing his cruciate in November 2016, just five months after playing at the Euro 2016 finals in France.
The injury knocked his career off track at an early age, but dreaming of further highlights in a green shirt helped him through the dark times.
“That knee injury set me back a year to 18 months from where I should have been,” he said. “And looking back now I was more down than I realised.
“It was tough but I always had the taste of the Euros and playing at Windsor Park and I had those really good nights in the back of my mind. That was what I wanted to get back to.”
While McNair has been playing in a three man defence for Middlesbrough, he has emerged as a mobile asset from midfield for Northern Ireland.
The former Manchester United and Sunderland player said: “That injury probably gave me a chance to step away from it all as things happened really fast for me.
“I was in the Premier League (with Manchester United) and then qualifying for the Euros, so it was a high followed by a big low when I got the injury.
“But I worked hard to get back from that and the last two and a half years I have really kicked on and I am happy with the way I’m playing for club and country.”
