Isaac Price richly rewarded with Northern Ireland call as West Brom doubters quietened
Isaac Price has been called up to Northern Ireland’s squad for this month’s crucial clash with Italy on the back of his impressive weekend display for West Bromwich Albion.
Northern Ireland face a tough World Cup qualifying play-off against the heavyweights at Atalanta’s Stadio di Bergamo on March 26, with a final against either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina awaiting should they advance.
Price has been capped 26 times by his national side and retains the faith of manager Michael O’Neill, who is doubling up as Blackburn Rovers manager – a relegation rival of the Baggies’.
And after his impressive display in West Brom‘s win over Hull City at The Hawthorns over the weekend, it is richly rewarded for the 22-year-old.
Isaac Price steps up for West Brom when it matters
There is no doubt that Price had gone massively off the boil as West Brom struggled to snap their winless streak.
But snap it they did at the weekend – and in quite the style, too, as they eased to a 3-0 win over promotion-chasing Hull.
Price was on the scoresheet, ending a run of 11 games without a goal.
And as can be seen in the Sofascore graphic further up this page, he also registered four key passes and completed 45 out of his 52 passes.
Furthermore, he fired away seven shots and got three of those on target.
Two days on from that, in a display that quietened his doubters, Price was named in Northern Ireland’s squad on Monday.
This is not to say Price is back to his absolute best, and it will take more than just one or two performances to change that, but the signs under James Morrison have been encouraging.
How did Price’s performance vs Hull compare to rest of the season?
Price’s latest display was in complete contrast to what we’ve seen too often this season.
Indeed, his average figures for the season read:
- Shots p/g: 2.3
- Key passes p/g: 1.3
- Dribble success: p/g: 0.4
- Accurate passes p/g: 19.9
The attacking midfielder improved in every area and that was clear, with supporters giving him a strong applause towards the end.
More of the same is now needed, with Price having the added motivation of a massive international fixture to get himself ready for in a couple of weeks time.
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