18-year-old prospects handed Northern Ireland senior spots in Michael O'Neill squad for Guinea and France friendlies
Michael O’Neill – in his first Northern Ireland squad since confirmation of a four-year contract extension – has offered opportunities to two promising teenagers for forthcoming friendly dates against Guinea and France.
The 23-strong panel has been put together for international challenge games against Guinea on Thursday, June 4 and France the following Monday.
O’Neill’s panel features a number of changes to the 28-player selection across the last international window which included a World Cup play-off semi-final defeat by Italy.
The two friendlies will help kick off preparations for the UEFA Nations League campaign which starts later this year with Northern Ireland in League B Group 2 against Hungary, Ukraine and Georgia.
O’Neill has rewarded progress of 18-year-olds Braiden Graham and Ceadach O’Neill with call-ups.
Graham has 22 goals in 31 appearances for Everton’s under 21s, plus four in as many under 18s appearances – alongside training time at senior club level and unused substitute call-ups for two first-team fixtures.
The forward has also been called into the Northern Ireland under 21s panel by Tommy Wright and scored twice in four games for Gareth McAuley’s under 19s, having also won caps with the under 16s and under 17s.
O’Neill has been an unused sub for Arsenal’s first-team panel on two occasions after netting 13 times in 17 appearances for the under 18s, alongside a two-in-four under 19s tally and two in eight for the under 21s.
Capped three times by Northern Ireland under 21s, he has also represented the international under 16s, under 17s and under 19s.
Both players are graduates of the JD-sponsored Irish FA Academy system and made first-team debuts at Irish League level for Linfield each aged 15 years old.
Liverpool’s Kieran Morrison – shortlisted alongside Graham for the PL2 Player of the Season award – has retained his Northern Ireland senior spot.
Blackburn Rovers defender Tom Atcheson, who won his first senior cap in the friendly with Wales as a late March replacement for the injured Dan Ballard, is also in this latest panel, plus goalkeeper Luke Southwood.
O’Neill is without Sunderland’s Ballard, Bailey Peacock-Farrell (Birmingham City), Conor Hazard (Plymouth Argyle), Dion Charles (Huddersfield Town), Terry Devlin (Portsmouth), Paddy McNair (Hull City), George Saville (Luton Town), Eoin Toal (Bolton Wanderers) and Brad Lyons (Kilmarnock).
Northern Ireland meet Guinea at Estadio Ciudad de La Línea in the Cadiz region of Spain (5pm kick-off, UK time) then – on June 8 – France in Lille’s Decathlon Arena - Stade Pierre-Mauroy (8.10pm kick-off, UK time).
NORTHERN IRELAND: Goalkeepers – Pierce Charles (Sheffield Wednesday), Josh Clarke (Partick Thistle), Luke Southwood (Bristol Rovers); Defenders – Ciaron Brown and Brodie Spencer (both Oxford United), Trai Hume (Sunderland), Ruairi McConville (Norwich City), Tom Atcheson (Blackburn Rovers); Midfielders - Alistair McCann (Preston North End), Shea Charles (Southampton), Isaac Price (West Bromwich Albion), Paul Smyth (Queens Park Rangers), Ethan Galbraith (Swansea City), Justin Devenny (Crystal Palace), Jamie McDonnell (Oxford United), Patrick Kelly (Barnsley), Kieran Morrison (Liverpool); Forwards - Josh Magennis (Exeter City), Callum Marshall (West Ham United), Jamie Reid (Stevenage), Jamie Donley (Tottenham Hotspur), Braiden Graham (Everton), Ceadach O’Neill (Arsenal).