MX23RW : Tuesday, March 11 05:55:01| >> :600:7495593:7495593:

Lafferty back in Northern Ireland fold

Lafferty back in Northern Ireland fold
© Reuters
Lafferty pulled out of the last squad with an Achilles injury at short notice.

Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty has been recalled to the Northern Ireland squad for the matches against the Republic of Ireland and Austria.

Lafferty pulled out of the last squad with an Achilles injury at short notice, which saw the Irish Football Association implement FIFA's five-day rule to prevent him from returning to club action for Rangers' next fixture.

The Rangers forward, currently carrying a thigh muscle problem which stopped him from being involved in the Europa League trip to Spartak Moscow, will return after he apologised for "an error of judgement", according to the Irish FA.

Manager Michael O'Neill said, quoted on the official Northern Ireland Twitter feed: "I've had
a good conversation with Kyle Lafferty and the senior players. We are all happy he is back in the squad."

Under-21s trio Celtic goalkeeper Conor Hazard, QPR winger Paul Smyth and Blackpool midfielder Jordan Thompson are all included by O'Neill in a 28-strong group, looking to add to their senior international caps.

Under-21s captain Liam Donnelly, though, misses out as the Motherwell defender recovers from injury.

Aberdeen winger Niall McGinn returns from his injury lay-off for the friendly in Dublin on November 15, which will be followed by the Nations League fixture against Austria at Windsor Park on November 18.

Charlton forward Jamie Ward and veteran Rangers defender Gareth McAuley are also included now fully match fit, while Rotherham forward Kyle Vassell, a late call-up to last month's squad, has retained his place.

Northern Ireland are bottom of their Nations League group, and could be relegated to the second tier.

"We'll treat the upcoming games as the double headers we will get next year in the Euro 2020 qualifiers," O'Neill added.

Northern Ireland squad for the matches against the Republic of Ireland and Austria:

Goalkeepers: Michael McGovern (Norwich), Trevor Carson (Motherwell), Bailey Peacock-Farrell (Leeds), Conor Hazard (Celtic)
Defenders: Aaron Hughes (Hearts), Gareth McAuley (Rangers), Jonathan Evans (Leicester), Craig Cathcart (Watford), Conor McLaughlin (Millwall), Patrick McNair (Middlesbrough), Jamal Lewis (Norwich), Michael Smith (Hearts), Tom Flanagan (Sunderland).
Midfielders: Steven Davis (Southampton), Niall McGinn (Aberdeen), Corry Evans (Blackburn), Shane Ferguson (Millwall), Stuart Dallas (Leeds), George Saville (Middlesbrough), Jordan Jones (Kilmarnock), Gavin Whyte (Oxford), Jordan Thompson (Blackpool)
Forwards: Kyle Lafferty (Rangers), Josh Magennis (Bolton), Jamie Ward (Charlton), Liam Boyce (Burton), Paul Smyth (QPR), Kyle Vassell (Rotherham).

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'b917932a-c4be-47c3-a95f-b1d24788d650');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Lafferty back in Northern Ireland fold'});

ID:340949: cacheID:340949:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5096:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
England manager Gareth Southgate watches on during his side's international friendly with Switzerland on September 11, 2018
Read Next:
England up to fifth in FIFA rankings
>
Read more about Kyle Lafferty Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool29217169274270
2Arsenal281510352242855
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest28156745331251
4Chelsea28147753361749
5Manchester CityMan City28145953381547
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2814594738947
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton28121064640646
8Aston Villa2912984145-445
9Bournemouth28128847341344
10Fulham2811984138342
11Crystal Palace2810993633339
12Brentford28115124844438
13Tottenham HotspurSpurs281041455411434
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd2897123440-634
15Everton2871293135-433
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2896133248-1633
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2865173857-1923
18Ipswich TownIpswich2838172658-3217
19Leicester CityLeicester2845192562-3717
20Southampton2823232068-489


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!