The Manchester United man is suffering from a virus but manager Nigel Worthington will give the 20-year-old every opportunity to recover before ruling him out of the crucial World Cup qualifier.

"I spoke to Jonny on Wednesday morning and he still doesn't feel great but I'm hoping he will fly out and join us before Saturday's game," Worthington said.

"In an ideal world, we would like him to be out with us on Wednesday night but we will have to see how he feels."

The Northern Ireland manager also revealed that goalkeeper Maik Taylor is currently recovering from a bout of flu but remains confident the Birmingham City shot stopper will be fit for Saturday evening's game.

Evans' absence would create a selection headache for Worthington as both Stephen Craigan and Michael Duff have already been ruled out through injury.

Also on the casualty list are midfielders Sammy Clingan and Chris Brunt.

Burnley's Grant McCann and teenager Ryan McGivern have been called up as reinforcements.

Meanwhile, in the latest FIFA world rankings Northern Ireland have dropped three places to 35th.

Nigel Worthington's side lost to Slovakia and drew with the Czech Republic in their opening World Cup qualifiers.