THE enduring and ongoing example of the Evans brothers has been hailed by Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill.
Both have made themselves available for friendlies against Spain and Andorra next month, even though 36-year-old Jonny still has the forthcoming FA Cup Final for Manchester United while 33-year-old Corry’s contract at Sunderland has expired.
In contrast, O’Neill lamented the decision of 23-year-old Paddy Lane to excuse himself from those games and the training camp after helping Portsmouth win promotion to the English Championship after topping League One.
O’Neill acknowledged that demands on players are increasing – but argued that June internationals are now part of the deal:
“I understand that – but if we were preparing to go to Germany [for Euro 2024] we wouldn’t even be discussing this and that’s what I’ve been saying to the players: ‘Ideally you’ll be playing in June because you’re going to a major finals’.
“Come June 2025 we’ll have two World Cup qualifying games so we’ll have to be committed to play and be used to playing.
“These are young lads, most of them – if Jonny Evans can come at his age, and Corry Evans, and Josh Magennis, and look forward to coming… We’re asking them to play in a good climate in a good camp, the players are well-managed.”
O’Neill’s disappointment with Lane’s decision was clear, the boss insisting that the idea of a longer summer break has to be consigned to the past:
“We need to get away from that thinking. I only had one player who said that, Paddy Lane, who said he felt he’d benefit from not being involved.
“My argument to that was ‘Well, that won’t benefit you going forward because you need to commit to international football. You have to be part of the group, come into the squad and establish yourself in the squad, then try to establish yourself in the team.’ We’re looking for that commitment from the players.
“I went recently out to Belgium to watch Isaac Price and he said ‘I can’t wait to come and join up in June’. That’s the attitude that you want from players coming into the squad.
“We hope the players involved in Cup Finals and Shea [Charles] in the [Championship] Play-off Final come through those and join up in the right frame of mind to have a really good camp.”
O’Neill did accept the absence of another Paddy, McNair, with the Middlesbrough man’s wedding set for the same day as the Spain game: “Paddy is getting married on June 8th. That’s been in the diary before these games were announced, so we have to allow for that.”
Two others have been excused due to injury problems: “George [Saville] has a bit of a calf injury and we both felt he needs a rest and needed some family time.
“Conor Washington has had a difficult season injury-wise, so we agreed he needs a rest so he can have a good pre-season and have a shot at the Championship again with Derby.”
Without that trio, O’Neill is especially pleased to have both Evans brothers back after the international retirements of long-serving skipper Steven Davis and Stuart Dallas, the latter due to injury problems:
“We probably don’t have enough senior players, obviously we lost Davo and Stuartie simultaneously, but we also lost Craig Cathcart in the last campaign as well.
“That’s a big bulk of your team, but that’s the challenge we face at this moment in time. People like Jordan Thompson and Josh [Magennis] have been about the group for a long time and all of those players are important.
“The fact they are involved in the squad means the younger players really have little to grumble about and should look forward to these opportunities.
“Jonny Evans has over 100 caps and Corry has over 70, Josh is touching somewhere in that region as well. You only get that number if you turn up, no one gives you them. There’s a lesson there for all the players.”
Like Corry Evans, Magennis is also out of contract, and O’Neill would have understood if they had wanted to avoid any injury risks: “I said, ‘Look, if it’s an issue for you, I fully understand that’, but both players were very keen to come and be involved and play.
“It’s never easy, that situation. Josh has maybe been in it, but I don’t think Corry has been in this position before in his career.
“It’s an uncertain time but they’re both at an age and point in their career where they’ve their experience to deal with it and what this gives them is a bit of an opportunity.
“People can see that they’re still involved at international level and hopefully if people pick up the phone to me over the summer and ask me how they are, I’m able to say they’re in good shape, they’ve a lot to offer and they get themselves something which is right for them and gives them the opportunity to continue to play with us.”
At the other end of the age scale, O’Neill has called up 18-year-old Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles, the younger brother of Southampton midfielder Shea. There are also returns for Aaron Donnelly, Dale Taylor, and Ethan Galbraith.
The teenage ‘keeper Charles has impressed O’Neill, as he pointed out: “We’ve known about Pierce for quite a while. He played for the 21s out in Serbia and put in a great performance. It was a great result for Tommy [Wright, NI Under-21s boss] to win away in Serbia against a strong Serbian team and an older Serbian team than what we had on the night.
“Pierce is one of those goalkeepers that everyone is looking for in the modern game. He’s got great distribution, real composure with the ball at his feet, and we know at Sheffield Wednesday they really regard him highly.”
Northern Ireland senior men’s squad (friendlies v Spain, June 8, and Andorra, June 11):
Goalkeepers – Peacock-Farrell (Aarhus, on loan from Burnley), Hazard (Plymouth Argyle), P Charles (Sheffield Wednesday);
Defenders – J Evans (Manchester United), Lewis (Watford, on loan from Newcastle United), Ballard (Sunderland), Brown (Oxford), Bradley (Liverpool), Hume (Sunderland), Spencer (Huddersfield Town), Toal (Bolton Wanderers), Donnelly (Dundee, on loan from Nottingham Forest);
Midfielders – C Evans (Sunderland), Thompson (Stoke City), S Charles (Southampton), McMenamin (St Mirren), Smyth (Queen’s Park Rangers), Price (Standard Liege), McCausland (Rangers), Galbraith (Leyton Orient), Boyd-Munce (St Mirren);
Forwards - Magennis (Wigan Athletic), D Charles (Bolton Wanderers), Marshall (West Ham United), Reid (Stevenage), Taylor (Wycombe Wanderers, on loan from Nottingham Forest).