Corry Evans believes brother Jonny should be considered as one of Northern Ireland's greatest ever players.
The Leicester City captain is closing in on 100 caps for his country and could reach the milestone if he plays against Kosovo and Greece in the coming days.
The elder Evans sibling made his debut back in 2006 when David Healy scored a hat-trick to beat Spain 3-2 at Windsor Park.
Read more: 'Players must share responsibility for poor results' insists Evans
The then 18-year-old hadn't even made his debut for Manchester United, but went on to win three Premier League titles with the Red Devils and played in the Champions League.
Corry - who is closing in on 70 caps for Northern Ireland - described his brother as a "real leader" in the international squad.
He added: “If you look at his club career, three Premier League medals with Manchester United and playing in the Champions League, he’s been unbelievable throughout his career on and off the ball with his reading of the game and his passing with both feet.
“He’s been a real leader in the international squad and from a young age we knew he was going to be a great player. Everyone could see his ability and to reach 100 caps - hopefully - would be a great testament to his dedication and his professionalism to reach that milestone.
“Against the top nations we won’t dominate the ball so we have to defend a lot and he’s been at the forefront of that in terms of leading us from the back.
“He’s faced some great opposition and players. Hopefully we can keep hold of him for as long as we can as a country and keep him playing because he’s a massive player for us.”
Corry added: “It would be great for him to hit the 100-cap mark. I think he has been looking at that sort of number for a while now and I am sure he would have liked to have hit it a lot sooner.
“It’s a great target to reach and hopefully he can continue to get many more caps in the future.
“He is a big player for the country, and as a family as a whole it is great as well that he is recognised as one of the most-capped players in the Nation.”
READ NEXT:
- The Jurgen Klopp text messages pushing Conor Bradley to the next level
- Glentoran footballers team up to support Survivors of Suicide garden
- "Bright spark" Conor McMenamin deserves to keep Northern Ireland spot
- Managers have their say on age cap debate following Glenavon teen's debut
Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox.
