George McCartney won 22 caps before his fall-out with Sanchez

"Nigel has been on the phone a few times. I've had a good chat with him and he has made me believe it's time to come back," said the West Ham defender.

"I had a few issues with Lawrie Sanchez and injury problems did not help but that's all in the past now.

"I want to get back into the team and it's up to me to prove myself again."

"Everything seems positive and I'm glad I've made the decision as I want to play for Northern Ireland."

McCartney has been watching the progress made by the national team with admiration but now wants to add to the 22 caps he has already won.

"I'm back to full fitness and looking forward to the new season with West Ham and getting back into the international squad.

"I had a few run-ins with Lawrie and it was disappointing that I had to bring my international career to an end.

"From the moment he took over, it was a clash of personalities and we didn't really see eye to eye.

"Having said that, he has proved himself to be a good manager and the next two or three Euro qualifiers are going to be massive matches.

"If we can take maximum points from those winnable games, we will be in a very healthy situation."