Michael O’Neill will be without goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell for the upcoming Nations League matches against Belarus and Bulgaria due to a shoulder injury.
Birmingham City man Peacock-Farrell joins deputy Conor Hazard on the injury list. The Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper is not expected to play again this year after he picked up an ankle injury.
This means Bolton Wanderers back-up Luke Southwood will be catapulted into action. Northern Ireland’s third-choice goalkeeper has earned just one international cap to date. That game as a second half sub in a 3-1 friendly win over Luxembourg in 2022. Sheffield Wednesday’s teenage shotstopper Pierce Charles will provide cover for Southwood.
O’Neill has received another seismic blow. Sunderland defender Daniel Ballard has also been ruled out of both games with an ankle injury.
Northern Ireland will train at Carrington in Manchester until Thursday when they jet out to Hungary to prepare for the game against Belarus at the neutral ZTE Arena in Zalaegerszeg on Saturday (12 October) at 19.45pm.
After that they will be facing the Bulgarians at Windsor Park in Belfast on Tuesday at 7.45pm.
The withdrawals of Peacock-Farrell (48 caps) and Ballard (26 caps) mean O’Neill will now have a 23-strong squad to choose from. There are no plans at this stage to call up replacements for the pair.