Northern Ireland: Defender Daniel Ballard is latest injury concern ahead of Euro 2024 qualifiers
- Published
Ballard missed Northern Ireland's Euro 2024 qualifiers in June
Defender Daniel Ballard is the latest injury concern for Northern Ireland ahead of their Euro 2024 qualifiers away to Slovenia and Kazakhstan.
Ballard played the full match for Sunderland in their 5-0 Championship win over Southampton on Saturday.
NI boss Michael O'Neill said they have "an injury concern" over him, though did not specify what the injury is.
O'Neill lost strikers Shayne Lavery and Dale Taylor on Friday from what was an already injury-hit squad.
Captain Steven Davis, Leeds United's Stuart Dallas and Sunderland's Corry Evans are long-term injury victims, Conor Bradley, Jamal Lewis and Aaron Donnelly unavailable for this squad.
After strike pair Lavery and Taylor were forced to pull out on Friday, O'Neill called up winger Jordan Jones, full-back Brodie Spencer and centre-half Eoin Toal.
Northern Ireland, fifth in Group H, face Slovenia in Ljubljana on 7 September before travelling to Astana to take on Kazakhstan three days later.
"The mood in the camp is good and the players are looking forward to the games," O'Neill said as the squad assembled in Ljubljana.
"Naturally, I am disappointed we are without Shayne and Dale due to injury. Both of them have been playing really well this season, however I believe the strikers we have in the squad are more than capable of getting us goals.
"Josh [Magennis] and Dion [Charles] both scored for their respective clubs at the weekend, while Conor [Washington] has been in good form for his new club.
"The three players we have brought in will provide us with more options in defence and midfield.
"Jordan [Jones] has recovered from an injury which kept him out of Wigan's squad at the start of the season, while Eoin is back in the Bolton defence after missing some games through injury. And Brodie is settling in well at Motherwell."