Middlesbrough have had a number of players away on international duty over the past couple of weeks.
There have been varying degrees of success for those representing their countries in that period.
Some have seen their involvement limited or picked up injuries that have brought their involvement to a premature end.
However, one Middlesbrough man who will have enjoyed his latest bit of international work on Tuesday night, is Paddy McNair.
The centre back helped Northern Ireland to claim a 1-0 friendly win over Scotland, their first victory against The Tartan Army in over 40 years. That has led to the win being described as ‘historic’ by Belfast Live.
Indeed, McNair certainly looks to have played a big part in that win at Hampden Park.
Middlesbrough man hailed for international performance
With McNair being named in the starting lineup, the 28-year-old found himself playing in a five-man defence, in which he was the oldest and most experienced by several years.
That is a role the Middlesbrough man did seem to step up to well. Writing about McNair’s latest performance for Northern Ireland, Belfast Live said:
“Led by example with so many young players around him”.
As a result, the defender was awarded a rating a 7/10 for his efforts in that win over Scotland.
According to SofaScore, McNair made three clearances and blocked one shot for Northern Ireland in that win.
The Middlesbrough man also completed 8/10 ten passes he played in that game, a success rate of 80%.
Meanwhile, the 28-year-old lost possession just three times across the course of the 90 minutes. No starter for Northern Ireland in that game gave the ball away less frequently.
As a result, this looks to have been a generally solid, if somewhat quiet, performance from McNair on Tuesday night.
Paddy McNair shows what he can do
With his contract expiring in the summer, there does seem to be an expectation that McNair will leave Middlesbrough at the end of this season.
Indeed, his involvement in Michael Carrick‘s side has been limited at times throughout the campaign, further backing up those suggestions.
Even so, solid performances such as this, where he is not only doing his own job, but guiding younger players through challenging matches, shows just how important a player he can still be.
Meanwhile, at 28 years old, there is still plenty of time remaining in his career where he can offer plenty to another club, even if that is not Middlesbrough.
With that in mind, it would be no surprise to see something of a clamour for his signature in the coming months, if his departure from The Riverside Stadium is confirmed.