Former Northern Ireland midfielder Stuart Dallas says he is “excited” by the team’s progress this year.
Michael O’Neill’s side has lost just once in their past five games, and that was to recently crowned European champions Spain.
The impressive run has included victories over Denmark and Scotland – Liverpool’s Conor Bradley scored the only goal in Glasgow before notching a double against Andorra in last month’s 2-0 win.
“The recent performances have been really good – they’ve done really well and are a good team now, a young team with a lot of pace and running power,” said the former Leeds United winger.
“They’re only going to get better. Michael knows what job he has on his hands but they are in a good place now. He’s the right man to take them forward.”
Northern Ireland are now preparing for their Nations League campaign with games against Luxembourg, Belarus and Bulgaria home and away in September and November.
“I’m excited to see them grow – they’ve got some exciting talents there but they still have a lot of work to do and Michael knows that,” added Dallas.
“They go into the Nations League – after the results they’ve had they go in full of confidence that they can come out on top in those games.”
Dallas was speaking after officially opening the SuperCupNI youth tournament in Coleraine on Sunday.
The 33-year-old, who won 62 caps, retired in April after two years out with a knee injury.
Dallas played for Crusaders and Brentford before moving to Leeds, where he scored 28 goals in 266 appearances.
He is still considering his future and a position at Elland Road is a possibility.
“It’s still a bit early – I want to take time to myself and time with my family, who have sacrificed a lot over the period that I played football. It’s time to give a bit back,” he said.
“There’s plenty for me to be involved in and I still need a conversation with Leeds. The club means a lot to me – I spent nine or 10 years there and they want me to stay on in some capacity. Hopefully down the line I’ll be involved in some way.”