West Brom midfielder Chris Brunt admits he considered international retirement

The 32-year-old returned in October after recovering from a ruptured cruciate ligament which kept him sidelined for almost eight months and meant he missed out on Northern Ireland's first major tournament in 30 years.

Brunt was a key member of Michael O'Neill's team which qualified for France and admits he was in two minds whether to continue his international career after his recovery.

The wideman eventually made his return in last month's 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Azerbaijan but intends to take things on a game-to-game basis from now on.

He said: "I was in two minds about the whole Northern Ireland situation and whether it was right for me to carry on playing once I was fit.

"I felt like I had to go back and play again and see how I felt about it, which I did last month. I enjoyed it, we got a good win, I scored and got a whack over my eye as well.

"The next game isn't until March, there's a lot of football to be played between now and then and I have learned not to take anything for granted. You just never know how things are going to go.

"With the nature of that injury and the age I'm getting to, you have to look after your body as best you can and Michael O'Neill understands that.

"If it helps and benefits everyone for me to play in the international games and we can get some good results, that's a win for everyone but its very much each game as it comes at the minute."

Brunt admits missing out on the summer has made him appreciate playing more, he added: "I was just delighted to get back. I love playing games again."