Michael O'Neill has said that Shane Ferguson will be pushing for first-team football with Newcastle United next season.
The midfielder had a loan spell at Birmingham City towards the end of the last campaign, having made 14 appearances for the Magpies earlier in the season.
The Northern Ireland manager, who handed Ferguson his international debut in 2011, told BBC Newcastle: "He's a clever player, a sharp player in possession and has a lot of really good attributes. He's not that big and physically strong, people might hold that against him but he's got a great manipulation of the ball and really good game intelligence.
"He's at an age now where he needs to play. Certainly going out to Birmingham was a bonus for him, he was getting games and was on the fringes at Newcastle before the transfer window opened and then an influx of new players made it more difficult for him to make the breakthrough.
"From his point of view he just wants to continue playing. When he goes back to Newcastle he'll hope to be making inroads into the first team again. If not then he'll probably look at his options with regards to going out on loan and playing elsewhere."
The 21-year-old scored once during his 11 games for Birmingham.
Sian Cowper
