Having watched McClean at the Brandywell on a regular basis, I felt that he was a gifted player with strength and speed. On more occasions than not he looked a level above a lot of players in the LoI. However, his move to the Premiership had me wondering if it would be too big a jump too soon for him. I thought that he would be more than capable of succeeding at the highest level, but was this move too soon?
Evidently not. There is no 'hype' about McClean. It's fact, just like someone else pointed out. Yes it's his first 8 games, but look at those stats. It's hardly just a typical good start. He has been the pivot point of Sunderland's turn in fortunes.
I believe Trap got it right, it may still be a little too soon for James at International level, but I'd love to see him travelling with the team to Poland (not to mention that he has already proven me wrong).