Jonny Evans has made a comeback to the Northern Ireland squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers.
However, due to a long list of injured senior players, manager Michael O’Neill will once again rely on the country’s promising youth talent.
Evans, whose contract with Leicester is expiring this summer, missed out on adding to his 100 caps in March due to a hamstring injury. Nonetheless, he has been included in the 28-man squad for the matches against Denmark (away) and Kazakhstan (home).
Unfortunately, a number of experienced players including Steven Davis, Stuart Dallas, Corry Evans, Liam Boyce, Josh Magennis, Conor Washington, and Shane Ferguson are still sidelined with injuries.
As a result, O’Neill has introduced five uncapped players into the squad, and a total of 15 out of the 28 players have earned fewer than 10 caps for the national team.
🤩 The boss has named his squad for Denmark 🇩🇰 and Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 #GAWA #NorthernIreland #uefaeuro2024
— Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) June 8, 2023
Nottingham Forest defender Aaron Donnelly, West Ham teenager Callum Marshall and Larne forward Lee Bonis have all received their first call-ups, with the uncapped Sean Goss and Eoin Toal again included after not featuring in March’s fixtures.
Blackpool striker Shayne Lavery returns after a hamstring injury kept him out of the last squad, although there will be a question over his fitness levels as he has managed only one appearance, as a substitute away to Norwich on the final day, since being sidelined in February.
There is also a return for Ethan Galbraith, who earned the last of his two international caps back in 2020.
The 22-year-old is a free agent this summer after leaving Manchester United, having spent last season on loan at Salford.
O’Neill has been working with several players from both the senior ranks and the under-21s at a series of training camps in recent weeks, aiming to keep his players sharp following the end of their domestic campaigns.
Northern Ireland travel to Copenhagen to face Denmark on Friday June 16 before taking on Kazakhstan at Windsor Park the following Monday.