Ben Amos is delighted to be joined in the England Under-21 squad by fellow United keeper Sam Johnstone.
The 23-year-old, currently on loan at Hull City, feels the teenager's maiden call-up to Stuart Pearce's party is just reward for his efforts.
"He's a great lad," Amos told TheFA.com. "I've come up through the ranks with Sam and he's always looking to learn and improve. It will be a good experience for him to come in and see what the Under-21s set-up is all about."
Amos is hoping to start between the sticks against Northern Ireland after impressing during his stint with Steve Bruce's Tigers.
"It's a good chance for me as I was only involved in one of the qualification games," he added. "So hopefully I'll be able to get some minutes.
"We've not got a lot of time together, but the game will be a competitive one against Northern Ireland. They'll want to beat us, so I think there'll be an extra edge to the game."