Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has spoken of his pride and joy after watching Isaac Price repay his faith in him.
The Price was right for Northern Ireland against Bulgaria as his stunning hat-trick helped to shoot down Bulgaria 5-0 at Windsor Park last month.
After scoring twice in the first-half, he unleashed a stunning 25-yard effort with nine minutes left to leave him reflecting on “the best night of my life”.
Northern Ireland sit top of Nations League Group C3 going into the double-header at home to Belarus and away to Luxembourg.
Price joined Everton at the age of seven but after 13 years at Goodison Park, he embraced a new challenge in Belgium.
The performance against Bulgaria was a perfect response to any doubters questioning what creativity he brings to the side.
The 21-year-old Standard Liege man is beginning to show why O’Neill felt this rising star could sparkle in front of the Green and White Army.
“Isaac is a very interesting player,” said O’Neill.
“I remember before I picked my first squad for San Marino in March 2023 I went to watch him play for Everton Under-21s in a European Youth League game and a lot of people were there because of his contract situation and you could see there was a lot of interest in him.
“He played very well on the night and I just felt that we needed to get these types of players on board.
“He has played in our Under-19s and I had actually saw him play for the ClubNI programme in Leeds with Shea Charles and a number of those young players, maybe around 2015.
“I was aware of him and it was nice to see where his development was.
“What he has done in the last 18 months is testament to the decisions he made in his career. He made a brave decision that wasn’t driven by finances to go and play for Standard Liege, he wanted to play first-team football, he could have signed a long-term contract at Everton and been a loan player like a lot of players in England and sometimes it’s successful, sometimes it’s not.
“He made a brave decision to do what he did and I think in that period he has played a lot of football in a good League in Europe, there’s been a lot of development in a League that a lot of people watch.
“In that period he has scored five international goals in just under 20 games (16 caps), he has crammed a huge amount into this period of his career and he can still develop physically.
“His goals show what he is capable of, he has had other chances and he wants to improve in goals and assists.
“But he gives you a real energy in the team as well. We play him in a more advanced role than he plays at his club but he will be capable in the next few years of playing at a deeper level in international football.
“A huge amount of work has gone into keeping those boys on board from a very young age, Isaac, Shea and Pierce (Charles) who are not born here but have bought into what we are trying to do.”