Northern Ireland Under-19s manager Gareth McAuley has chosen a 22-strong panel for the upcoming friendlies against Slovakia’s U19s.
The games in Belfast and Larne will be the Northern Ireland U19 team’s final warm-up games before they compete in the U19 Euros next month.
McAuley’s side are due to face the Slovakians in an international challenge match at Seaview in Belfast on Friday (7 June, 6pm start).
And then they will meet again next Monday (10 June) at Inver Park in Larne. It’s also a 6pm kick-off.
The challenge matches are being staged at two of the grounds being used in the 2024 UEFA Men’s European Under-19 Championship finals, which are being held in Northern Ireland from 15 to 28 July.
Last week a Northern Ireland Under-18 team led by McAuley took part in a Tri-Nations Tournament in England where they played games against England and Morocco.
It was an opportunity for players to stake a claim for a place in the Northern Ireland U19 Euros squad.
And the panel for the Slovakia matches features a handful of players who took part in that three-team tournament staged at St George’s Park, The FA’s national training centre in Staffordshire.
McAuley will not name his final squad for the U19 Euros until early July.
The panel for the games against the Slovakians is as follows:
Goalkeepers – Kai McLean (Celtic), Mason Munn (Rangers).
Defenders – Ruairi McConville (Brighton and Hove Albion), Gallagher Lennon (St Mirren), Josh Briggs (West Ham United), Daithi McCallion (Derry City), Tom Atcheson (Blackburn Rovers), Brendan Hamilton (Aberdeen), Aodhan Doherty (Linfield), Sean Brown (Larne).
Midfielders – Lewis Trickett (Accrington Stanley), Francis Turley (Celtic), Jack Doherty (Fleetwood Town), Conor Barr (Derry City), Blaine McClure (Rangers), Joel Thompson (Nottingham Forest), Corey Smith (Larne), Casey Smyth (Glentoran).
Forwards – Kieran Morrison (Liverpool), Braiden Graham (Linfield), Sam Glenfield (Fleetwood Town), Reece Evans (unattached).
