"An unbelievable feeling" - Finneran reflects on senior international debut | OneFootball

Born in Manchester but eligible to represent Republic of Ireland through his Irish father, Finneran received his first senior call-up with the Boys in Green before being handed his senior bow as a substitute in the closing stages of last weekend's clash at the Estadio Nueva Condomina in Murcia, Spain.

The 18-year-old midfielder, who captained his country at last year's Under-17 World Cup finals in Qatar, expressed his delight in gaining his first international cap at senior level and is hopeful of building on his impressive milestone.

"It's a great achievement for me and my family but I think it makes you want to get more of it and work even harder to get more," Finneran told newcastleunited.com.

"It doesn't feel real to be honest. I got told I'd be coming on and then I was on the pitch. I don't know how to explain it - it all felt a bit surreal in the moment but I really enjoyed the experience.

"It was a really good performance, especially in the second half, and when you're winning games by that amount, you must be playing well and it made the debut even better.

"Most of my family got over, my close family and a few other family members, to watch me. It was a big moment for them, too, and it was nice to be out in the sun in Spain!

"It was quite unexpected as someone dropped out and I got the call so I was really happy about it. The week went on and, eventually, you get your debut which is an unbelievable feeling.

"Doing it at 18 years old makes it even better but, after getting a taste of that, you want more of it."

Finneran became the seventh youngest player of the post-war era to represent his country at senior level, achieving the feat before the likes of Roy Keane and Declan Rice despite not featuring for the Magpies at first-team level.

The central midfielder, who has made 17 competitive appearances for Newcastle's U21s side this season, is determined to continue his progression through United's youth ranks as well as benefiting from training with Eddie Howe's senior squad.

He added: "This season has been a great experience. I've played a lot of games in different competitions and that was one of the main things I wanted to achieve.

"Personally, I think I've improved a lot during the season, doing what I set out to do with the under-21s.

"There's a lot of great players in the first-team to look up to. Whenever you're training with them, you see the top level they're at and it shows you what you've got to do but also, subconsciously, learning as much as you can when you're playing with or against them.

"Being in and around that has been a massive help for my career because they're top players.

"The most important thing is making sure I continue to develop and then, eventually, playing first-team football whether that is with Newcastle or going out on loan. Hopefully, that's the next step for me."

Everyone at Newcastle United sends their congratulations to Rory on a fantastic achievement.

Photograph courtesy of Ireland Football (@IrelandFootball)