James McArthur is backing his old Hamilton mentor Alex Neil to be a Premier League success at Norwich.

The £7m-rated Crystal Palace midfielder has been widely touted with a possible summer Carrow Road transfer to link up again with one of the formative influences on his career.

McArthur is part of Scotland's squad on Euro 2016 duty against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday night, and the 27-year-old revealed national team mates Russell Martin and Steven Whittaker were full of praise for Neil's stunning impact since his move south.

'I played with him and you knew he was going to be a manager,' said McArthur. 'He is intense but he does a great job for the team. You speak to the Norwich boys here in the national squad and they love him. He has demanded their respect and that was the only thing, or the major thing, I worried about for him, going into a place with such a big club, so many internationals, and at such a young age, but he has done absolutely great.

'I played in the Championship for a year and it was so hard, but enjoyable, just as hard as the Premier League in many respects. I am sure the teams who come up will be really fit and they have the right managers as well. You look at the boy Eddie Howe and the job he has done too.'

McArthur was part of a Palace outfit who upset the odds to finish in the top half last season under Alan Pardew.

'It was great to go in for my first year and nail down a place and play as often as I have,' said McArthur, speaking to the Scottish FA site. 'He has been great for the team, we have really kicked on and he is demanding such high standards.

'The main thing he brings is ambition, not just can we do our best to stay up but can we better 10th place next year.

'Everyone at Palace has got a real buzz around the place.'