NI boss O'Neill 'positive' about Bradley and Evans

Liverpool's Conor Bradley (left) and Jonny Evans of Manchester United

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill says he believes there are "positive" signs about Conor Bradley's Liverpool future under new manager Arne Slot and has welcomed the news that Jonny Evans has signed a new one-year contract with Manchester United.

Bradley became a significant member of the Liverpool squad under previous manager Jurgen Klopp last season and also made his mark as part of O'Neill's Northern Ireland squad.

"There’s always uncertainty when a new manager comes in, but I think the signs for Conor have been very positive since Arne Slot came in and it’s just about trying to get as many minutes as possible," O'Neill told BBC Sport NI's Sportsound programme.

"That’s not an easy task with a squad like Liverpool have but while he has always played at right-back for Liverpool he has shown for Northern Ireland that he can be adaptable.

"We’ve played him in a different couple of positions for NI where he has shown up extremely well. I’m sure Liverpool will have taken note of that."

Evans returned for a second spell at Manchester United last year and has been afforded the opportunity of further extending his career in the top flight with the Old Trafford giants.

“We had discussions with Jonny while we were in Spain and he openly indicated that if he didn’t get an agreement with Man Utd he possibly may not play this season, but thankfully that’s not the case and he still has a lot to play for," said O'Neill.

"I hope he stays as injury free as possible and gets as many minutes as possible, as he still has a huge amount to offer for Northern Ireland, and for Manchester United."

'A great experience to play Spain'

O'Neill is in his second spell as manager of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland lost 5-1 to eventual Euro 2024 champions Spain in a friendly in June, before going on to defeat Andorra 2-0 in the second instalment of the early-summer international window.

"I think we got a lot out of it. We were there for 13 days, which was long and a lot to ask of the players, but their attitude to it was fantastic," reflected the NI boss.

"We got a lot of time to work with the players that you don’t generally get in an international break.

"It was a great experience to play Spain. We probably didn’t realise Spain were going to be as good as they were. They clearly showed they were the outstanding team in the tournament [Euro 2024]."

Northern Ireland will begin their Nations League campaign at home to Luxembourg on 5 September, followed by an away game against Bulgaria three days later and then another fixture on the road against the other team in the group, Belarus, on 12 October.

"It will be a good test for the players against a good level of opposition," said O'Neill.

"They are teams that you have to be able to compete with and beat if you’re going to make a challenge in a qualification campaign."