O'Neill wants NI squad 'at its strongest' for June

Michael O'Neill's Northern Ireland side start their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup away to Luxembourg in September

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill says June friendlies against Denmark and Iceland will be "good preparation" for World Cup qualifying as he hopes his squad have fewer injuries come the double-header.

His side were without the likes of Conor Bradley, Trai Hume, Dan Ballard and Ali McCann in a 5-1 friendly defeat to Sweden in March.

That left the manager fielding a starting XI with an average age of under 23 years old.

The coming games against Denmark in Copenhagen and Iceland in Belfast are the last before the side start World Cup qualifying in September, when they will be in a group with Germany, Slovakia and Luxembourg.

"We were down maybe five or six other players in March and the team got very young," O'Neill told BBC Sport NI.

"They're tough games. Denmark will be tough, Iceland won't be an easy game, but it's good preparation for what lies ahead in September."

As well as the defeat by Sweden, Northern Ireland drew with Switzerland during March and, coupled with the opposition to be faced in June, O'Neill feels the step up in quality from their successful Nations League C campaign will be beneficial.

"It was important to play a higher calibre of teams than we played in the Nations League," he added.

"Switzerland and Denmark, who are both pot one teams, and Sweden and Iceland, it gives exposure, but ideally we want our team at its strongest to be able to deal with that."

Germany will be favourites to top the group but O'Neill wants his side to challenge for the runners-up spot, while they could yet have another route into the play-offs as a group winner from the Nations League.

"We'll have to deal with Slovakia and Germany in the qualifying, and obviously Luxembourg as well," O'Neill said.

"It's a tough group, but we can show that we have the potential to hopefully challenge for a play-off spot."

Bradley contribution has been 'immense'

Conor Bradley missed Northern Ireland's past two games through injury

Liverpool's Bradley missed the games against Switzerland and Sweden because of a hamstring injury sustained in February.

He made a return for his club in April, although he was absent with what the Reds called a "minor injury" as they clinched the Premier League title with a win against Tottenham last weekend.

"His contribution for us has been immense. In the Nations League he was terrific across the six games. Unfortunately we lost him for the games in March," said O'Neill.

"I think he's probably frustrated with his contribution at Liverpool; he'd have contributed a lot more but injury obviously deprived him of that.

"He's a big player with a big future, but he's been unlucky with injuries and hopefully he gets a period without injury where he can really show his potential."

As a first Northern Ireland international to pick up a winners' medal in the Premier League since Jonny Evans with Manchester United in 2013, O'Neill thinks Bradley's standing in the squad will be "enhanced" when they next meet up.

"Conor has a presence in the squad. As a Premier League winner that will only be enhanced," O'Neill said.

"We've not had that since Jonny Evans. Jonny always had a presence about him and I can see a lot of similarities.

"Although Conor is a younger player, [he is] developing into that kind of player that Jonny was for Northern Ireland."