Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill has praised Chris Brunt for his performance in his side's 4-0 victory over Azerbaijan on Friday night.
Brunt required treatment on a head injury before he played a starring role in his team's dominant win in Belfast as his side moved into second place in Group C.
The West Bromwich Albion midfielder was absent from Northern Ireland's Euro 2016 squad after suffering a serious knee injury in February, and after watching his display at Windsor Park, O'Neill admitted that he had missed having the left-footed player at his disposal.
The 47-year-old told Sky Sports News: "He was brilliant. We don't have a like-for-like replacement so when we lost him in the summer [at Euro 2016] we had to change our system. We saw his class tonight."
Northern Ireland's next qualifying fixture comes on March 26 when they host Norway.
