Neil Warnock slams usage of Leeds United's Stuart Dallas and Middlesbrough's Paddy McNair in Northern Ireland internationals

Dallas was among six Whites players facing the prospect of three games within a week as part of the year's final batch of internationals and the 29-year-old played every single minute of all three of Northern Ireland's clashes against Slovakia, Romania and Austria.

Ian Baraclough's side first faced Slovakia in a European Championships qualifier play-off that went to extra time on Thursday evening before Slovakia broke Northern Irish hearts with a 2-1 victory.

Three days later, Dallas then captained Northern Ireland in a 2-1 loss against Austria in a Nations League clash in Vienna and Dallas again played every minute of Wednesday's 1-1 draw at home to Romania - also in the Nations League.

Dallas was joined in action by Middlesbrough defender McNair who also started all three games and was only prevented from playing every minute of all three games after being taken off with 16 minutes left of extra-time against Slovakia.

Leeds and Boro now return to action this weekend with United hosting Arsenal in Sunday's Premier League showdown against Arsenal and Boro playing a day earlier in facing Championship opponents Norwich City in Saturday's 3pm kick-off.

Warnock says he can understand the magnitude of last Thursday's Euros play-offs encounter but the demands placed on Dallas and McNair in the subsequent clashes in the Nations League - brought in to effectively replace friendlies - has left the 71-year-old manager particularly irked.

Warnock told talkSPORT: “I didn’t watch England last night because I watched Northern Ireland as we had Paddy McNair playing.

“He’s played three of the toughest games you could wish for. The play-off final and then two bloody friendlies in this Nations League.

“I don’t understand when you’ve got nothing to play for how him and Dallas can play every minute of every game.

“There’s something wrong somewhere where you can’t bring a young lad in to the side when you’ve got nothing to play for.

“You’ve got to think of the players. We helped them by keeping him (Paddy]) off training ahead of the first game and they were unlucky as they should have got through to the Euro’s.

“After that though, yeah okay play him in one of the games but not two of them.

“I can’t accept that, not when there’s nothing to play for, although they’ve probably got no-one else who can take free-kicks!”

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Thank you Laura Collins