Northern Ireland Under-21s boss Tommy Wright has included five new faces in his 24-strong squad for this month’s Euro qualifiers against Malta and Germany.
The U21s are set to face the Maltese and the Germans at home in the 2025-27 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying group stage (Group F).
Both the game against Malta next Thursday (9 October) and the encounter with group top seeds Germany on Tuesday 14 October are being staged at The Oval.
Northern Ireland’s men’s Under-21 side are also competing with Greece, Latvia and Georgia in Group F.
And last month they began their qualification campaign with an excellent 1-1 draw away to the Georgians, the second seeds in the group.
“We had an unbelievable result in Georgia and we now want to build on that,” said the Northern Ireland U21s boss.
And Wright added: “We will go in to the game against Malta with confidence. We must try to get the three points. We know the Germany game will be tough, however our focus has to be on Malta first.”
New faces in the squad for the two games include 16-year-old Southampton defender Broghan Sewell, who has previously trained with Northern Ireland’s U19s.
Wright explained it was important to give younger players as much experience as possible at higher age levels in the international arena.
Other newcomers to the U21s include Linfield defender Sean Brown, Cliftonville midfielder Joe Sheridan, Aston Villa attacker Cole Brannigan and Liverpool forward Kieran Morrison.
Returning to the fold are Waterford goalkeeper Stephen McMullan (on loan from Fleetwood Town), who was with the seniors last month for their FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Luxembourg and Germany, and fellow keeper Mason Munn (Dunfermline Athletic, on loan from Rangers). Waterford attacking midfielder Sam Glenfield is back as well.
Not available due to injury are Nottingham Forest defender Matthew Orr, Celtic midfielder Francis Turley, Bolton Wanderers defender Sam Inwood and Larne midfielder Dylan Sloan.
Missing out this time are goalkeepers Josh Clarke (Celtic) and Francis Hurl (Huddersfield Town) along with Aodhan Doherty (Blackburn Rovers).
And Everton striker Braiden Graham will be joining up with Northern Ireland’s U19s instead during the upcoming international window.
Everton midfielder Jack Patterson and Peterborough Sports defender Bayley McCann, who were late call-ups to the squad last month, have retained their places in the panel.
Leicester City midfielder Ryan Donnelly, Arsenal striker Ceadach O’Neill and Dundalk frontman Eoin Kenny have also retained their places in the squad after receiving their first call-ups to the U21s in September.
Last month’s original U21 squad featured Mansfield Town midfielder Jamie McDonnell (on loan from Nottingham Forest), however he was promoted to the senior squad and made his senior debut against Germany. And McDonnell has kept his place in the seniors for the upcoming international window.
Tickets for both U21 Euro 2027 qualifiers in east Belfast are available at irishfa.com/tickets. The Malta game on 9 October has a 7.45pm kick-off, while the Germany match on 14 October at The Oval has a 5.30pm start.
The squad for the upcoming qualifiers against Malta and Germany is as follows:
Goalkeepers – Fraser Barnsley (Everton), Stephen McMullan (Waterford, on loan from Fleetwood Town), Mason Munn (Dunfermline Athletic, on loan from Rangers).
Defenders – Tom Atcheson (Blackburn Rovers), Conor Barr (Cliftonville, on loan from Derry City), Sean Brown (Linfield), Tommy Fogarty (Birmingham City), Shea Kearney (Dunfermline Athletic), Jonny Russell (Glentoran), Michael Forbes (Northampton Town, on loan from West Ham United), Broghan Sewell (Southampton), Bayley McCann (Peterborough Sports, on loan from Barnsley).
Midfielders – Ryan Donnelly (Leicester City), Sam Glenfield (Waterford), Patrick Kelly (Barnsley), Jack Patterson (Everton), Darren Robinson (St Patrick’s Athletic, on loan from Derby County), Joe Sheridan (Cliftonville).
Forwards – Cole Brannigan (Aston Villa), Eoin Kenny (Dundalk), Makenzie Kirk (Portsmouth), Liam McStravick (Airdrieonians), Kieran Morrison (Liverpool), Ceadach O’Neill (Arsenal).
