Jamie Reid has made a comeback to the Northern Ireland squad while Shayne Lavery has been left out due to injury. The Independent reported that Reid, who was previously ruled out due to injury, has returned to the squad, whereas Lavery will miss out on the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Belarus and Bulgaria. Additionally, young goalkeeper Pierce Charles has been included in the squad in place of the injured Conor Hazard.
Despite suffering a hamstring injury while playing for Cambridge, Lavery’s absence opens up an opportunity for Reid to rejoin the team. Hazard, the Plymouth goalkeeper, is set to be sidelined until December following ankle surgery, making way for Charles to step in. Meanwhile, Stoke midfielder Jordan Thompson and Huddersfield defender Brodie Spencer have recovered from their injuries and are back in the squad.
The 25-man squad, which remained unchanged for the previous month’s fixtures, includes the likes of Caolan Boyd-Munce, who has re-joined after briefly leaving camp for the birth of his first child. The upcoming matches for Northern Ireland include a game against Belarus in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary, and a fixture against Bulgaria at Windsor Park.
The Nations League game against Belarus is scheduled to be played behind closed doors in Hungary. The unchanged squad from last month’s fixtures, which resulted in a 2-0 win against Luxembourg and a 1-0 defeat to Bulgaria, will aim to continue their form in the upcoming matches. The squad remains largely consistent, with only a few injury-enforced changes made by manager Michael O’Neill.