Davis catches the boss's eye

Aug 18 2006

MARTIN O'Neill is relishing the prospect of seeing young midfielder Steven Davis in a claret and blue shirt.

Davis picked up a thigh injury at Wolves during pre-season which ruled him out of the summer tour.

But having returned to training this week, the 11-times capped midfielder is in with a good chance of partnering Gavin McCann in the engine room.

Capped 64-times capped by Northern Ireland himself, O'Neill says Davis' qualities stand out.

"He is a player I was already aware of - very much so, albeit from a distance. He was certainly grabbing headlines and, as I watched some of the videos from last year, anyone can see he's got ability."

O'Neill says that Davis is naturally fit enough to not be 100 per cent match fit at Arsenal, but has bemoaned his loss so far this summer.

"It was good to have Steven back in training.

"He's fine, he feels okay. He's just short of a bit of match fitness. But he's young and energetic so it shouldn't take too long to get right."