Northern Ireland U21 boss Ian Baraclough has insisted Paul Smyth is 'fully committed' to Northern Ireland after having been on the Republic of Ireland's radar.

Martin O'Neill's interest in the QPR midfielder saw him get caught in a row between his Northern Irish counterpart Michael O'Neill over eligibility to play for the two countries.

The Republic boss said he would only speak to Smyth over a call-up to Republic squad if he declared an interest in switching from the Northern Irish camp to the Republic, which he is able to do under FIFA rules.

But his U21 boss at international level has said that Smyth is committed to the North and is a shining light for all those playing in Northern Ireland.

He said: "Paul Smyth is a Northern Ireland player. He is an integral part of the under-21s and Michael (O'Neill) likes him a lot. Paul feels very much at home here and he is fully committed."

"Paul is a shining light for everyone who is playing over here. He was in the Linfield team and was one of the mainstays of last season's success for them and he got his move to QPR,

"Since then, he has put his head down and worked really, really hard at QPR and I know the manager and coaching staff there and they tell me how much he is valued."

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