Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill is excited to work with Ronan Hale for the first time after handing the Ross County forward his maiden call-up for this month’s friendlies against Switzerland and Sweden.

The 26-year-old Hale, who has scored 12 goals in 31 games for the Staggies since signing from Cliftonville last summer, previously played for the Republic of Ireland at under-21 and under-19 level, but received international clearance for his switch of allegiance in January.

“Ronan’s had a big adaptation going back into full-time football at Ross County, he’s got 12 goals this season and when I saw him recently against Motherwell he scored twice that day, so I think he deserves the opportunity,” O’Neill told the PA news agency.

“We have to evaluate him. It’s down to the player then. We’re trying to give some of the players opportunities in these games leading into September (when the World Cup qualifiers start) and Ronan’s one we’re excited about bringing in.”

placeholder image — Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill during Tuesday's squad announcement. (Photo by Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press)

Hale joins Dion Charles, Callum Marshall, Dale Taylor and Lee Bonis in a largely inexperienced attacking group as veteran Josh Magennis misses out.

The 34-year-old has hit 11 goals for Exeter, scoring twice against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, but O’Neill said it was right to leave him out.

“I know what Josh is capable of, I’ve had him for a long, long time,” the manager said. “He’s had a very good season and it’s not that Josh doesn’t deserve to be in the squad, but I felt it was important to give some of the younger players the opportunity…

“As a manager you have to give opportunities and more often than not that comes at the expense of an older player, but that doesn’t mean in any way that it’s the end.”

Another senior player missing but not through injury is goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell, who has had a difficult time since joining Birmingham in the summer, playing only two league games since September while Pierce Charles has moved ahead of him at international level.

O’Neill said the decision to leave out the 28-year-old was “not dissimilar” to Magennis’s situation, with Conor Hazard and Luke Southwood joining Charles in the squad.

“Bailey’s not played (many games) for the best part of five months and that move hasn’t gone maybe as well as he would have hoped, but he’s still a significant goalkeeper,” O’Neill said.

“He’s got more miles on the clock than any of the other goalkeepers and that is something we would never not put value on. But I think we have to invest in young Pierce as well.”

Magennis and Peacock-Farrell are among several changes from O’Neill’s squad in November, with Conor Bradley, Daniel Ballard and Ali McCann injured while Caolan Boyd-Munce, Jamie Reid, Kofi Balmer and Jamal Lewis are left out.

Paddy McNair, Eoin Toal, Aaron Donnelly and Dale Taylor return along with Hazard.

Northern Ireland face Switzerland at Windsor Park on March 21 before travelling to play Sweden in Stockholm on March 25.

They will play two more friendlies in June, one at home to Iceland and the other to be confirmed, before starting their World Cup campaign in September in a group that also includes Slovakia, Luxembourg and either Germany or Italy.