If Shea Charles is feeling a weight of expectation from being the most expensive Northern Ireland footballer ever his demeanour does not betray it. Interviewed by BBC Sport NI before the forthcoming four-game Nations League bonanza, the Fulham midfielder cuts a laid-back but determined figure who is keen to play a key part in helping a young Northern Ireland side continue to build on recent progress. Charles' record-breaking £30m move from Championship side Southampton to the Cottagers in the summer gave him the opportunity to move up a division and ply his trade in the Premier League.
He describes becoming NI's most expensive footballer as "quite crazy". "I think I was like second or third before that. But to be number one, it's really cool.
Just to be in the Premier League and just being able to play my football is amazing," he told BBC Sport NI's Stephen Watson. "For me, I don't really think about it [the price tag] too much, and you see what a lot of people are going for these days, it's kind of crazy. "I've just got really good people around me, living with my younger brother and my older brother, mum and dad.
I've got a really good friendship group that keep me grounded." International football, rather than the club game, will occupy the 22-year-old's attention over the coming weeks as Michael O'Neill's side face Georgia home and away, Hungary and Ukraine over the coming weeks. Already capped 35 times since making his debut in June 2022, Charles emphasises the influence international football has had on advancing his career prospects and improving his game. "International football has always been massive for me ever since I made my debut – the types of players you play against, the teams you are playing, you rarely got to play against them when you're playing in the Championship.
"Being able to show your level against those kind of players was always going to help. "I feel like he [O'Neill] has really trusted me from the moment that I came in, starting me in any game that he could really, and I'm obviously very thankful for that. "I feel like Michael has given me a bit of responsibility, especially taking the armband a couple of times, so I just try to set an example, whether that's on the pitch or off the pitch, and just be someone the young lads can look up to." Charles has played a part in all five of Fulham's Premier League matches this season, starting in three of those, including draws against Liverpool and Manchester United in recent weeks.
Alvaro Arbeloa's side sit 19th in the table, with two draws and three defeats to date. "Whether it was with Southampton or by getting a move the aim was always to get back to the Premier League. "It's really exciting and I've settled in really well.
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