McGiven relies on City superstars to guide Northern Ireland to South Africa

Ryan McGiven is determined to keep Northern Ireland on track for South Africa and, at just 19, can already boast a wealth of experience at tackling some of the game's most renowned match-winners head on. The Manchester City full back, who plays in Wednesday night's Windsor Park friendly against Israel, is part of a dressing room that has just made room for Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Gareth Barry and Roque Santa Cruz, alongside Robinho. The quality of that strike-force dawned on him at City's training ground a few days ago, when he found himself heavily outnumbered in a three-on-one routine. 'The idea is to recreate what you might face if you get caught by a counterattack,' he said. 'I was the one defender and as I looked up, I saw Robinho, Adebayor and Tevez bearing down on me. 'I'm on my own, trying to protect my goal against these three world-class superstars. 'You can only try your best to get a tackle in, but I have to say there are times when I can't help being in awe of these guys. 'The thought of being in the same line-up does so much for your self-belief.'

Source: Daily_Mail