Kieran Morrison hopes his first international start for Northern Ireland has earned the trust of manager Michael O’Neill after an impressive display in the 3-0 Nations League win over Ukraine in Trnava, Slovakia. The 19-year-old Liverpool winger, who is spending this season on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, was one of three changes O’Neill made for the match and operated as an inside forward off the right-hand side. He provided the assist for Isaac Price, crossing for Price to head home Northern Ireland’s second goal and his 11th international goal.
Morrison had been an unused substitute in Northern Ireland’s opening two Group B2 matches, from which the side took four points against Georgia and Hungary. The win over Ukraine left Northern Ireland top of the group with seven points from three games. Morrison said he had been waiting for his chance. “I’ve been biding my time after the first two games,” he said. “I was training well, working hard and I’m glad he [O’Neill] trusts me enough to give me the start. I think I did well enough.”
Price praised Morrison’s contribution, describing him as a different kind of threat for the team. “Thought he was really good,” Price said. “He’s a different threat than what we have had before. A really good crosser of the ball and he has come in and given the manager a headache with a game on Monday.”
Morrison admitted that delivering the cross for Price was not his first instinct. “To be fair I wasn’t going to cross it,” he said. “I was like ‘OK, get the ball and do some stepovers’, but it was just set it back to me and I whipped it in and Isaac was there. Every time I got the ball, I was just trying to make something happen.”
The winger, who represented England at underage level but qualifies for Northern Ireland through his Newry-born mother, is now hoping to keep his place for Monday’s game against Georgia at Windsor Park. It would be his first home outing for Northern Ireland. “It’s going to be great,” said Morrison, who made two senior Liverpool appearances last season. “I’ve never played at Windsor Park. Hopefully I get the start, if I don’t get the start, hopefully I come on and impact it.”