[7] He was praised by fans and manager Louis van Gaal for his solid defending in that match, including a vital headed clearance while United were down to 10 men.

[9] On 4 January 2015, McNair was in the starting line-up for a FA Cup third round tie with Yeovil Town which concluded with a 2–0 result, playing as a right-back in a 3–5–2 formation.

Following his impressive performance, Van Gaal publicly praised McNair and claimed that he could go on and establish himself as the new Gary Neville, suggesting he could be a regular in that position for the next decade.

[16] After over 11 months absence, McNair returned to action on 28 October 2017, playing 11 minutes as a substitute in a 2–1 home loss to Bristol City in the Championship.

[17] Three days later he scored his first league goal of his career, equalising in a 3–3 draw with Bolton Wanderers at the Stadium of Light four minutes after coming on in place of Darron Gibson.

[24] On 25 July 2024, Major League Soccer club, San Diego FC announced the signing of McNair on an initial three-year contract ahead of their inaugural season.

[26] On 4 November 2014, McNair was called up to the Northern Ireland senior team for the first time, ahead of a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match away to Romania,[27] but did not play.

[33] He was selected to start for Northern Ireland's opener against Poland in Nice, but was substituted at half time for compatriot Stuart Dallas in an eventual 1–0 loss.

[36] McNair scored his first international goal against Belarus in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier on 11 June 2019,[37] and followed it up with two more in a 3–2 friendly win away to the Czech Republic on 14 October.