PRESTON NORTH END manager Alex Neil was quick to praise Ireland forward Graham Burke after the former Shamrock Rovers star scored an emphatic volley at Deepdale on Saturday.
The Lilywhites were held 2-2 at home to Stoke City, with Burke executing a brilliantly composed strike just before half-time to bring his side 2-1 ahead.
The 24-year-old joined Preston from the Hoops in June and has settled into life in the Championship seamlessly — also scoring in a 3-1 League Cup victory over Morecambe, where he was named man-of-the-match.
“He’s got great technique and great quality,” said boss Neil on Saturday.
“We just want to try to get him an understanding of his position, because generally he’s played as a number ten.”
The Dubliner enjoyed previous spells at Aston Villa and Notts County, before returning to the League of Ireland in February 2017.
The forward was called into the Irish senior squad by Martin O’Neill earlier this summer, making his debut against France before scoring against the United States at the Aviva Stadium.
The Lilywhites manager said Burke had adapted well to the playmaking role he starred in while at Tallaght Stadium, where he scored 13 goals and was named SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers’ Association of Ireland Player of the Month in March.
“He can still do that role,” added Neil. “Graham was dropping into the pockets in between the lines and causing them problems; I thought that worked really well for us.”
Pick that one out! 😯
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) August 18, 2018
Here's how Graham Burke hammered @pnefc ahead just before the break!
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