Northern Ireland defender Ciaron Brown has played down concerns over the busy schedule for this expanded international window but admitted it will be a new experience for most of his team-mates.

Following revisions to the international windows Northern Ireland face four matches in 11 days – a situation not seen since 2022 when the football schedule was trying to catch up following the pandemic, but one that will become the norm going forward.

With a long trip to Tbilisi to face Georgia up first, and then home matches against Hungary and Georgia either side of a trip to Slovakia to play Ukraine, it will be a stiff test of the depth that Michael O’Neill has been trying to build in his side.

Brown is one of only nine players in the current squad who were part of Ian Baraclough’s group four years ago – when they played an away double-header in Cyprus and Kosovo in between home matches against Greece and Cyprus.

placeholder image — Northern Ireland enjoying training in Belfast before a packed UEFA Nations League schedule. (Photo by Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press)

But with so many players in O’Neill’s current crop used to the regular grind of the English leagues, Brown does not expect it to be an issue.

“I don’t think there’s much concern about the actual schedule because we all do it at club level anyway,” the Oxford defender said.

“I just think it might be a surprise for some of the young boys, this schedule for internationals. When I first came to the camp, this was kind of what happened. I think we had three or four games at the beginning and it was just the normal, but it hasn’t been like this for maybe a few years now.

“But I think most boys would be used to it, and we’ve got a close-knit group anyway, so I think the boys will enjoy the time away.”

Since Brown, 28, made his international debut back in 2019 he has seen tremendous change – only five other players who were in the squad at the time of his debut against Luxembourg are still around now.

Ten years on from Euro 2016, the influx of youth has given Northern Ireland fresh hope of qualifying for another major tournament soon.

“It’s strange, because I think from when I first came in to now, if I look at it like that, it’s just massively changed,” Brown said.

“But I think it slowly, slowly had gone this way, and then maybe over the last two years or so, it’s dramatically changed with a lot of young talent coming through. It’s very promising.”

Having earned promotion to League B last time out in the Nations League, Northern Ireland will be up against the likes of Georgia’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Paris St Germain, and Hungary’s Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.

“We’re hoping to give a good account of ourselves and just improve across the board of the whole squad,” Brown added. “We’re a young squad definitely getting better…

“Over the last year there’s a few things that might not have gone our way, so it’s improve on those and just keep growing.”

There has been one change to the 28-man squad named by O’Neill last week, with Brown’s Oxford team-mate Jamie McDonnell forced to withdraw.