If Shea Charles is feeling a weight of expectation from being the most expensive Northern Ireland footballer ever his demeanour does not betray it.

Interviewed by BBC Sport NI before the forthcoming four-game Nations League bonanza, the Fulham midfielder cuts a laid-back but determined figure who is keen to play a key part in helping a young Northern Ireland side continue to build on recent progress.

Charles' record-breaking £30m move from Championship side Southampton to the Cottagers in the summer gave him the opportunity to move up a division and ply his trade in the Premier League.

He describes becoming NI's most expensive footballer as "quite crazy".

"I think I was like second or third before that. But to be number one, it's really cool. Just to be in the Premier League and just being able to play my football is amazing," he told BBC Sport NI's Stephen Watson.

"For me, I don't really think about it [the price tag] too much, and you see what a lot of people are going for these days, it's kind of crazy.

"I've just got really good people around me, living with my younger brother and my older brother, mum and dad. I've got a really good friendship group that keep me grounded."

International football, rather than the club game, will occupy the 22-year-old's attention over the coming weeks as Michael O'Neill's side face Georgia home and away, Hungary and Ukraine over the coming weeks.