Gareth McAuley has named his 20-strong panel to represent Northern Ireland at this year’s U19 Euros.
The Northern Ireland Under-19s manager revealed his selection after a behind-closed-doors friendly against Turkiye this afternoon.
There are no new faces in the squad, which has effectively been taking shape through friendlies and camps over the past two years.
McAuley said both he and his players feel “super proud” to be able to represent their country at U19 Euro 2024, which the Irish Football Association is hosting along with UEFA this summer. The tournament will run from 15 to 28 July.
The U19s boss further said he is happy with the composition of his squad, which has players aged 17 to 19 within it.
He has chosen two goalkeepers, nine defenders, six midfielders and three strikers, although several of the players can operate in alternative positions. The bulk of them ply their trade in England and Scotland, however his panel also features players from both the NIFL Premiership and League of Ireland.
He acknowledged there have been ups and downs in terms of selection of players, however he insists that he and his backroom staff have put together a squad which will be “really competitive”.
Joining Northern Ireland in the tournament are seven teams from right across the continent of Europe, including holders Italy, who will face Norway in the first match of U19 Euro 2024. Ukraine, Denmark, Spain, France and Turkiye are the other participants.
Northern Ireland have qualified as hosts, while the other sides involved have navigated two qualification rounds to reach the finals.
Italy, who won this year’s U17 Euros by defeating Portugal in the final last month, are among the favourites to lift the U19 trophy this year.
Group A features the hosts, Italy, Ukraine and Norway, while Group B includes Spain, France, Denmark and Turkiye.
Northern Ireland’s first game in Group A is against Ukraine at Larne’s Inver Park on Monday (15 July) with a 7pm kick-off. Italy play Norway at Seaview Stadium in Belfast earlier that day (3.30pm).
Next up for Northern Ireland are the Italians at Inver Park next Thursday (18 July), again the game has a 7pm kick-off, and they will round off their group games against Norway at Seaview on Sunday 21 July (7pm).
The aim for McAuley and his players is to reach the latter stages of the tournament. The semi-finals are due to be played at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park on Thursday 25 July (2pm and 7pm) and the final is scheduled for the National Stadium on Sunday 28 July (7pm).
The U19s boss urged Northern Ireland fans to come along and support the team, adding that he believed players in his squad will feature for the senior international side in years to come.
Unfortunately McAuley will have to do without two key players who are missing through injury.
Brighton and Hove Albion defender Ruairi McConville, who would have been the captain of the team at the tournament, has been ruled out with a hamstring problem, while midfielder Ryan Donnelly (Leicester City) ruptured an ACL a couple of months ago.
The Northern Ireland U19 Euros squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers – Pierce Charles (Sheffield Wednesday), Mason Munn (Rangers).
Defenders – Tom Atcheson and Aodhan Doherty (both Blackburn Rovers), Daithi McCallion and Conor Barr (both Derry City), Josh Briggs (West Ham United), Gallagher Lennon (St Mirren), Brendan Hamilton (Aberdeen), George Goodman (Bradford City), Joel Thompson (Nottingham Forest).
Midfielders – Kieran Morrison (Liverpool), Lewis Trickett (Accrington Stanley), Francis Turley (Celtic), Jack Doherty (Fleetwood Town), Blaine McClure (Rangers), Corey Smith (Larne).
Forwards – Braiden Graham (Everton), Sam Glenfield (Fleetwood Town), Reece Evans (Reading).
To buy tickets to U19 Euros matches go to irishfa.com/u19euro.
