Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill has no major injury concerns ahead of the upcoming international challenge matches against Denmark and Iceland.
Last month O’Neill named a 26-man squad for the two games and he revealed today that all of them have been taking part in a training camp in Marbella over the past three days.
Providing a squad update, he said: “We have had a good three days… we’re pleased with the work we have done. We have not had any withdrawals. I think we are in decent shape.”
He revealed a couple of players have niggles that will need to be managed, noting that June can be a challenging month given that some players finish their league seasons at the start of May while others complete their seasons towards the end of May.
He said this month’s friendlies, against Denmark away on Saturday and Iceland at home next Tuesday, were about exposing the players to top level international football ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers this autumn.
He further said the match against Denmark in particular will be a step up from the games in the UEFA Nations League late last year.
The Northern Ireland boss believes the onus will be on Denmark to perform well in Saturday’s game at the Parken Stadium given that they have a relatively new head coach and are playing at home.
He explained the friendly in Copenhagen will be a test for his players and will allow some members of his young squad - half of the squad are aged 21 or under - to get their first taste of international football at the top level.
“We have to go there with the belief that we can get a result,” he said, adding that it is important to instil belief in the players ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Germany, Slovakia and Luxembourg this autumn.
The Northern Ireland players will train in Spain once again tomorrow morning before flying to Copenhagen tomorrow afternoon.
