Saturday 18 June 2016 23:06, UK
Underrated Steven Davis is one of the Premier League’s best players, says Northern Ireland team-mate Stuart Dallas.
The Northern Ireland skipper signed a new three-year contract at Southampton on Saturday, but his immediate focus is the Euro 2016 Group C clash with world champions Germany on Tuesday.
Having already shackled Poland's Robert Lewandowski, and kept Andriy Yarmolenko quiet in Thursday's 2-0 win over Ukraine, Michael O'Neill's men now have to work out how to stop the likes of Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil and Toni Kroos.
They may not have as many household names as their opponents on Tuesday but Dallas has pinpointed Southampton midfielder Davis as a player worthy of consideration alongside the elite.
"'Davo' is quality and without doubt one of the best players in the Premier League," the 25-year-old Leeds winger said.
"As Michael said, he only gets seconds on Match of the Day. I have always said that he doesn't get the credit he deserves.
"In my opinion he would get into any side in the Premier League, any side, and to be playing alongside someone like him is unbelievable and it's unbelievable for us. It helps us so much and I can't speak highly enough of him."
Northern Ireland head into Tuesday's clash in Paris knowing that their win over Ukraine has guaranteed them at least third place in Group C, a position which may yet be good enough to advance to the last 16 with the four best third-placed teams qualifying.
That means that even a loss to the Germans, which would be their second in the group following an opening defeat to Poland, may not dash Northern Ireland's hopes of going through.
"We set out to win the game and we did that, so we've given ourselves the best chance possible of something to play for in the last game," Dallas added.
"We're full of confidence, and even after the Poland game, even though we were a bit down, we knew we could turn things around. Nobody stops believing, that's the one thing about us."
