Five new faces in Northern Ireland U21 squad for Euro qualifiers against Malta and Germany
Tommy Wright has added a freshness to his Northern Ireland U21 squad by calling up five new players for the European qualifying double-header against Malta and Germany.
The young Green and White Army host both matches at The Oval, with Malta visiting next Thursday (October 9) before group heavyweights Germany arrive the following Tuesday (October 14).
Among the new call-ups is 16-year-old Southampton defender Broghan Sewell, who has already trained with Northern Ireland’s U19s.
Also earning their first U21 call-ups are Linfield defender Sean Brown, Cliftonville midfielder Joe Sheridan, Aston Villa attacker Cole Brannigan and Liverpool forward Kieran Morrison.
There are also notable returns as goalkeeper Stephen McMullan (Waterford, on loan from Fleetwood Town) re-joins the squad after featuring with the seniors in last month’s World Cup qualifiers, while fellow keeper Mason Munn (Dunfermline Athletic, on loan from Rangers) and Waterford playmaker Sam Glenfield are also back in the fold.
Injuries rule out Nottingham Forest defender Matthew Orr, Celtic midfielder Francis Turley, Bolton defender Sam Inwood and Larne’s Dylan Sloan. Goalkeepers Josh Clarke (Celtic) and Francis Hurl (Huddersfield Town) miss out, as does Blackburn’s Aodhan Doherty.
Meanwhile, Everton striker Braiden Graham has been selected to represent Northern Ireland’s U19s during the upcoming international window.
Wright’s side, drawn in Group F of the 2025–27 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, are also up against Greece, Latvia and Georgia. They made a promising start last month, earning a hard-fought 1-1 draw away to second seeds Georgia.
“We had an unbelievable result in Georgia and we now want to build on that,” said Wright. “We will go into the Malta game with confidence. It’s important we aim for three points. Germany will be a huge challenge, but our focus has to be on Malta first.”
The squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers – Fraser Barnsley (Everton), Stephen McMullan (Waterford, on loan from Fleetwood Town), Mason Munn (Dunfermline Athletic, on loan from Rangers).
Defenders – Tom Atcheson (Blackburn Rovers), Conor Barr (Cliftonville, on loan from Derry City), Sean Brown (Linfield), Tommy Fogarty (Birmingham City), Shea Kearney (Dunfermline Athletic), Jonny Russell (Glentoran), Michael Forbes (Northampton Town, on loan from West Ham United), Broghan Sewell (Southampton), Bayley McCann (Peterborough Sports, on loan from Barnsley).
Midfielders – Ryan Donnelly (Leicester City), Sam Glenfield (Waterford), Patrick Kelly (Barnsley), Jack Patterson (Everton), Darren Robinson (St Patrick’s Athletic, on loan from Derby County), Joe Sheridan (Cliftonville).
Forwards – Cole Brannigan (Aston Villa), Eoin Kenny (Dundalk), Makenzie Kirk (Portsmouth), Liam McStravick (Airdrieonians), Kieran Morrison (Liverpool), Ceadach O’Neill (Arsenal).