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Louise Thomas
Editor
Michael O’Neill has made only two injury-enforced changes to his Northern Ireland squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Belarus and Bulgaria.
Stevenage striker Jamie Reid, ruled out through injury himself last month, is back in the squad with Shayne Lavery sidelined, while the uncapped 19-year-old goalkeeper Pierce Charles returns in the absence of Conor Hazard.
Lavery suffered a hamstring injury playing for Cambridge a little over two weeks ago and could also miss next month’s internationals, while Plymouth goalkeeper Hazard is expected to be out until December after ankle surgery.
Stoke midfielder Jordan Thompson and Huddersfield defender Brodie Spencer have both recovered from the injuries that saw them withdraw from the squad last month, while Caolan Boyd-Munce is included after leaving camp to attend the birth of his first child.
That means the rest of the 25-strong squad is as it was for September’s fixtures, a 2-0 win at home to Luxembourg and a 1-0 defeat to Bulgaria in Plovdiv.
Northern Ireland travel to play Belarus in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary, next Saturday, a game that will be played behind closed doors, before Bulgaria head to Windsor Park on October 15.
