Kyle Lafferty has been drafted into the Northern Ireland squad as a replacement for the injured Josh Magennis.
Magennis has been forced to withdraw from the group preparing for World Cup qualifiers against Lithuania and Switzerland, which sandwich a friendly in Estonia.
Lafferty joins up with the squad having come off the bench to replace Magennis in each of Northern Ireland’s opening two qualifiers in March.
⚽ The boss has provided an update on his squad for the September internationals ⤵️ #GAWA— Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) August 30, 2021
“I said last week that the door was open for Kyle and circumstances mean that he’s back in the reckoning,” said Northern Ireland boss Ian Baraclough.
Corry Evans is a doubt due to a hamstring strain and Baraclough is sweating on the fitness of a number of others.
With that in mind, Alfie McCalmont – currently on loan at Morecambe from Leeds – has stepped up from the under-21s to take a place in the senior squad, while Motherwell midfielder Liam Donnelly and Sunderland defender Tom Flanagan have also been added.
“A number of key players have taken a knock during the weekend games so we’re keeping a watching brief. The next 24 hours will be important,” added Baraclough.
It has also been confirmed that Leicester first-team coach Adam Sadler, who joined Baraclough’s staff this week, will miss the forthcoming international window due to a family bereavement.
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