Northern Ireland head coach Michael O’Neill is determined not to dwell on past glories ahead of the upcoming match against Ukraine. His focus remains firmly on developing his young squad.
Friday’s UEFA Nations League clash in Trnava, Slovakia, marks the first official meeting between the two nations since Gareth McAuley and Niall McGinn secured a 2-0 victory for Northern Ireland at Euro 2016 — their first major tournament win in 34 years. Notably, Martin O’Neill was also part of that historic match.
“That was 10 years ago for me,” O’Neill reflected. “This is a new team, one focused on the future. While we can draw on certain traits and memories from that squad, I prefer to look ahead. I’m not one to look back.”
The Northern Ireland manager also highlighted the logistical challenges his team has faced recently:
“We had to deal with a very demanding travel schedule from Georgia and prepare for the next game, which we managed to do.”
In terms of squad availability, Northern Ireland will be without Dan Ballard due to injury. Meanwhile, Ethan Galbraith, who was named man of the match against Hungary, missed Thursday’s training session after being granted permission to return home earlier this week for personal reasons. However, the Stoke City midfielder is expected to rejoin his teammates later on.
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