Northern Ireland squad: Arsenal Under-23s defender Daniel Ballard earns debut call-up, Will Grigg and Conor Washington return

Northern Ireland squad: Arsenal Under-23s defender Daniel Ballard earns debut call-up, Will Grigg and Conor Washington return
Arsenal Under-23s defender Daniel Ballard has been handed a debut call-up for Northern Ireland’s senior squad for this month’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Estonia and Belarus.Ballard, 19, has played four times for Northern Ireland’s Under-21s and is the only new face in the 27-man squad named by Michael O’Neill on Tuesday.

Confirmation of our squad for our @UEFAEURO2020 qualifiers against Estonia and Belarus #GAWA pic.twitter.com/LHdvB6iKxw— Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) March 12, 2019

There are also returns for Will Grigg and Conor Washington, who have been missing over recent international breaks.Grigg returns after missing the friendly against the Republic of Ireland and UEFA Nations League match against Austria in November because of injury.Washington has not been involved in Northern Ireland’s last four games, with O’Neill in October saying he had requested to be omitted from the squad due to personal reasons. Midfielder Oliver Norwood, Washington’s Sheffield United team-mate, is not included due to personal reasons.Michael Smith, Jamie Ward and Kyle Vassell are injured, and Trevor Carson is recovering from the DVT injury detected following the internationals in November.Rangers’ Gareth McAuley has been named in the 27 despite having treatment on a calf injury in recent weeks.O’Neill’s men host Estonia on March 21 and then Belarus three days later.1

Stevenage-born Ballard qualifies for Northern Ireland through his mother

Regarding Norwood, O’Neill told Sky Sports News: “Ollie in recent weeks had asked to take a step back from international football at this minute in time. He has personal reasons for making that decision.“It is a disappointment. He has been a big part of the success we’ve had here at Northern Ireland. He’s a very important player, with over 50 caps.“But we have to respect his decision, and hopefully he’ll be back with the squad soon because I know both myself and the players would like him back.”

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Northern Ireland squad in full:Goalkeepers: Michael McGovern, Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Conor HazardDefenders: Aaron Hughes, Gareth McAuley, Jonny Evans, Craig Cathcart, Conor McLaughlin, Paddy McNair, Jamal Lewis, Tom Flanagan, Daniel BallardMidfielders: Steven Davis, Niall McGinn, Corry Evans, Shane Ferguson, Stuart Dallas, George Saville, Jordan Jones, Gavin Whyte, Jordan ThompsonStrikers: Kyle Lafferty, Josh Magennis, Conor Washington, Liam Boyce, Will Grigg, Paul Smyth

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