Derby County teenager Darren Robinson has rounded off a memorable debut season in England with a call-up to Northern Ireland’s senior training camp.
Robinson, who made his Rams debut last month, is one of several younger players invited to attend the four day get-together at St George’s Park in Staffordshire.
The 17-year-old captained a Northern Ireland U18 team in March and his emergence at Pride Park has caught the eye of senior boss Ian Baraclough.
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It has been a remarkable rise for Robinson who has just completed his first season at Derby after joining the club from Dungannon Swifts on a three year deal last summer.
The talented midfielder has mostly starred for the club’s U23 and U18s side but has also been training with Rooney’s first team squad.
He was named on the bench in a 2-0 win over Sheffield United in January and made his senior debut as a substitute in a 3-1 defeat to Bristol City on April 23.
Robinson, who was recently named Derby County’s Scholar of the Year, said it had been a “brilliant experience” making his debut in his first year with the club.
“All my family were there to see it so it was a proud moment,” he said. “I’m very happy that my first season went well but I want to keep going and keep working hard.”
Northern Ireland boss Baraclough is using this week’s camp to assess the fitness levels of regular squad members and give several underage players a taste of the senior set-up.
He said: “It will enable the younger players to showcase what they’re all about and increase their experience of international football with the senior team coaches and players.”
Dungannon Swifts midfielder Terry Devlin and Oisin Smyth, who joined Oxford United from Dungannon in January, have also been invited to attend the camp.
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