Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill admits he’s disappointed to lose “great asset” Ceadach O’Neill for their upcoming Nations League double-header after the Arsenal youngster was forced to withdraw from the squad through injury.

Former Linfield teen O’Neill has represented Northern Ireland on four occasions after receiving his maiden call-up earlier this year.

The 18-year-old came off the bench in Nations League wins over Georgia and Ukraine during the last international window and was due to take his place in the senior panel once again this month having been named in Northern Ireland’s 25-player squad.

Highly-rated O’Neill has enjoyed a rapid rise in recent months with the Kilrea native making his Arsenal debut in last month’s shock Carabao Cup defeat to Fleetwood Town, where fellow countryman Conor Haughey scored a famous winning penalty for the League Two club.

placeholder image — Northern Ireland's Ceadach O'Neill. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

O’Neill was involved in Mikel Arteta’s squad throughout pre-season and was named on the bench for a Champions League fixture against Lille earlier this term.

A top performer for Arsenal’s U21s, O’Neill missed their most recent Premier League 2 game – a 5-2 win over Aston Villa in which William Saliba and Max Dowman featured – and will be absent for international duty.

“We’re naturally disappointed to be without Ceadach for the final two games of the campaign,” said O’Neill. “He has been a great asset to the squad in the last international window and everyone here wishes him a swift recovery.

“The wider squad and staff are looking forward to the two games ahead. We’re in a good position in the group and there is plenty to play for.

“The Ukraine game in Belfast will be an important one for us, before we travel to Hungary for another challenging fixture. We’ll be looking to build on the work we’ve done so far and finish the campaign strongly.”