Manajan ƙungiyar kwallon ƙafa ta Northern Ireland Michael O'Neill ya yi kira ga haƙuri wajen ƙayyade matsayin Braiden Graham, yana mai jaddada cewa zai zama kuskure a kulle ɗan wasan kai farmaki na Everton mai shekaru 18 a matsayi ɗaya a wannan matakin ci gabansa.

Graham ya fara aikinsa a matsayin ɗan wasan kai farmaki ta tsakiya — matsayin da ya daɗe yana haifar da matsalar zaɓi ga Northern Ireland. Manajan Everton David Moyes kwanan nan ya nuna cewa saurayin «wataƙila wani ne da zai buga daga gefen filin» a Premier League, amma O'Neill yana jin daɗin barin duk zaɓuɓɓuka a buɗe.

«Ina tsammanin mafi muhimmancin abu shine a yi ƙoƙarin kada a kulle shi a matsayi ɗaya,» O'Neill ya ce. «Yana da sassauci kuma yana da sassauci saboda yana da ƙwarewa sosai. Ina tsammanin a wannan lokaci mafi kyawun zaɓi zai zama ya buga ɗan kaɗan daga gefen, mai yiwuwa a matsayin 10, ko kusa da ɗan wasan kai farmaki mafi girma idan ana buga da ɗan wasan biyu a gaba, wanda ƙungiyoyi kaɗan ne ke yi.»

O'Neill ya kuma bayyana abin da Graham ya nuna a lokacin horar da ƙungiya. «Abin da ya nuna mana a horar da ƙungiya shine mataki mai ƙasa sosai na fasaha da ikon sanya ƙwallon cikin ragar,» manajan ya ƙara da cewa.

Kiran na biyu zuwa tawagar manyan 'yan wasa

An saka Graham cikin tawagar Northern Ireland don wasanni huɗu na Uefa Nations League, farawa da tafiya zuwa Georgia a ranar 25 ga Satumba. Wannan shine kiran sa na biyu ga tawagar manyan 'yan wasa, bayan an haɗa shi don wasannin abokantaka na watan Yuni da Guinea da France.

Ya kusan fara wasan farko na ƙasa da ƙasa a kan France, yana shirye don shiga filin a matsayin maye yana gab da busa sarewa ta ƙarshe. O'Neill ya yarda cewa Graham «ya cancanci» farkon wasan ƙasa da ƙasa bisa halayen sa da aikin sa a cikin dukkan zaman taron watan Yuni.

Ci gaban jiki ba damuwa ba ne

Da tsayin ƙafa 5 da inci 9, an yi tambayoyi game da iyawar Graham don taka rawa a matsayin ɗan wasan kai farmaki na gargajiya a matakin sama. Sai dai O'Neill ya nuna cewa ci gaban jiki yana bin tsarin nasa ga kowane ɗan wasa.

«Kowane ɗan wasa na ci gaba ta hanyar jiki daban-daban. Yana da wahala sosai a buga a Premier League a matsayin ɗan wasan kai farmaki — duba bayyanar da ƙungiyoyi suke so a matsayin ɗan wasansu na kai farmaki,» ya ce. «Amma Braiden ɗan wasa ne mai hazaka sosai, ɗan wasa ne mai fasaha sosai, mai kammala wasan sosai. Yana da kafa ta hagu mai kyau sosai, kuma yana da hankali wajen yadda yake buga.»

O'Neill ya bayyana cewa ya bibiyi ci gaban Graham tsawon shekaru da yawa, yana sa ido a kansa tun yana ɗan shekara 14 ko 15, kuma tsohon ɗan wasan kai farmaki na Linfield ya kasance maye wanda ba a yi amfani da shi ba a wasanni uku na Everton a wannan kakar wasa.