Kyle Lafferty thanks Michael O'Neill for keeping the faith during 'toughest time of my career'
Sunday 9 October 2016 23:52, UK
Kyle Lafferty has thanked Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill for keeping his faith in the striker during the "toughest" time in his career.
Lafferty has barely had a scrap of first-team football at Norwich since Alex Neil took charge in 2015, and tried to escape the club in two transfer windows to no avail.
Lafferty came off the bench to score twice and setup another as Northern Ireland beat San Marino 4-0 on Saturday and he insists he had no problem starting on the bench considering he has made just one appearance at domestic level so far this term.
He said: "It probably is the toughest time of my career. I'm always going to be disappointed with not starting but I have to respect my team-mates and the decision of the manager.
"If he says I'm not fit enough and sees I'm going to be better for the team playing 30 minutes then I have to respect that.
"I know my international record compared to club football is completely different and that's probably down to the fact that, in club football, I don't really have a manager who has a lot of faith in me like Michael has, and I'm repaying Michael by getting goals and getting three points.
"I respect Michael and every decision he makes, whether it disappoints me or not, because we have a good relationship. He has made me the focal point of the team and put a lot of trust in me. When you are a player and have someone like that behind you it gives you a confidence boost and someone to go out and please.
"It's always good but, as I've said before, it's not all about me. There are players playing club football and, if I was in their shoes, I'd be asking questions why I wasn't starting."
