Northern Ireland v Switzerland: Referee controversies ‘in the past’ – Paddy McNair
McNair moved to the United States in January after West Brom’s spell, joining San Diego in MLS.
The 29-year-old former Manchester United and Middlesboro defender said he would not move to the United States if he was given a place in the dangerous Northern Ireland squad.
He added: “I really like it, I really like football and everything.”
“It has been very special to play for Northern Ireland. I will definitely wear a green shirt.
“When I was young, I played most of the competitions and I always loved coming to Windsor Park and I loved playing for my country.”
McNair is the last member of the 2016 European Cup team and is now the top player in the current team of Michael O’Neill.
He will wear the captain’s armband on Friday since Jonny Evans and Steven Davis retired, which “leads by example” in a team in Northern Ireland’s young Northern Ireland team.
A friendly match with Switzerland on Friday and a trip to Sweden on Tuesday will prepare for the World Cup qualifiers in Northern Ireland, a sport that begins in September, with McNair believing NI has the quality of the 2026 final.
“We have a lot of talented players and in the long run they will get more experience and it’s a very exciting team,” he said.
“I just hope we can go to the World Cup and it will be great, but there is a lot of hard work to get there.”
