Northern Ireland: 'Different' Morrison gives Michael O'Neill new option in attack

Northern Ireland's Kieran Morrison hopes he has earned the trust of manager Michael O'Neill after impressing on his first international start.

The Liverpool winger, who is spending this season on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, provided the assist for Isaac Price for the side's second goal in an eye-catching 3-0 Nations League win over Ukraine in Slovakia.

The 19-year-old was one of three changes made by O'Neill for the game in Trnava and impressed in an inside forward role off the right-hand side.

An unused substitute for the first two games of Group B2 in which Northern Ireland took four points against Georgia and Hungary, Morrison was pleased to quickly repay O'Neill's faith.

"I've been biding my time after the first two games," he told BBC Sport NI's Gavin Andrews.

"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."

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While Price, who nodded home Morrison's cross for his 11th international goal, is nailed on for one of the roles behind the central striker in O'Neill's preferred system, Morrison certainly staked a claim to hold on to the other against Georgia at Windsor Park on Monday night.

"Thought he was really good," said Price of Morrison.

"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."

Despite the praise for his delivery, Morrison added that putting the ball into the box 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."

Morrison, who represented England at underage level but qualifies for Northern Ireland through his Newry-born mother, is hoping to keep his place for Monday and make what would be a first home outing for the side.

"It's going to be great," said the player 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."