CLARETS defender Michael Duff is relishing the chance to pit his wits against some of the world's best players as he prepares to join the Northern Ireland squad for their trip to America.

Lawrie Sanchez's side take on Uruguay in Giant's Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday before taking on Romania at Soldier field, Chicago next Friday.

Uruguay have the likes of Alvaro Recoba and Diego Forlan among their number and Romania boast stars like Juventus' Adrian Mutu.

And Duff, who has eight international caps to his name, can't wait to test his skills against some of these greats of the game.

He said: "It's my first trip to America and it's a great opportunity to get a couple more caps and have a great experience.

"Uruguay are a tough side and probably the best team not to have qualified for the World Cup.

"They have players like Recoba and Forlan in their squad, two top players, so I'd love to play against them if they make the trip.

"I know the manager (Sanchez) sees me as a centre half and I played the last 10 games there so hopefully that will have been noticed and I can get to start.

"You always want to test yourself against the best players in the world and it would be an honour just to say you'd been on the same field as them."

But as well as battling for the ball, Duff is also expecting a scrap for the shirts of some of the big name players once the final whistle blows.

He added: "I have a great collection of shirts and it would be nice to add to them when we play over there.

"You see these players on the television all the time.

"We'll just have to see who is playing but there could be a scrap for some of the shirts.

"I've got Ryan Giggs' shirt from when we played Wales and in 50 years time no doubt I'll be boring my grandchildren with memories of some of the great players Ive played against."