He said: "When the draw was made I felt the same as everyone else and thought it could have been kinder to us. To get France, Italy and Ukraine was quite a task.

"I'd never have imagined I'd be in the position I am in now. I was playing with the Under-21s when the draw was made, still trying to break into the full squad.

"I thought it would be good if I could make it on to the bench and try to get 10 or 15 minutes in one of the qualifiers.

"I have done that and more. I've been in the last four or five squads which has been good. I've played much more than I expected.

"We've done well so far but I'm not going to say we'll qualify. There's a long way to go.

"I'm just glad to be part of it and it was great the manager had the faith to put me in against Italy."