O'Neill backs McCartan to make NI debut
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill is tipping Shane McCartan to make his senior debut in Friday's friendly with New Zealand.
The 23-year-old from Newry enjoyed a successful season with Accrington Stanley in League Two, scoring 11 goals and earning a place in the training camp last week.
"He had a very good second half of the season. He's a goalscorer, very sharp, and he looked very sharp in Manchester as well. We bought him in to train with the squad just to get a look at him, get a feel for him. He did enough and I felt we should keep him in the squad," said O'Neill.
McCartan has represented Northern Ireland at every major youth level, scoring goals along the way.
"He was very young when he came into the under 21 side, which he came into at the age of about 17. He's also been through the disappointment of being released from Burnley, but he's done very well to rebuild his career with Accrington Stanley."
O'Neill will find his striking options limited for the coming fixtures. Jamie Ward and Will Grigg are injured, while Conor Washington will miss the game because he's getting married on the 10th of June. Kyle Lafferty is still lacking fitness, having failed to feature for Norwich in the buildup to him being released from his contract.
It means McCartan could feature from the bench, as an alternative option to Liam Boyce or Josh Magennis.
"Shay is a player that I think is attracting a bit of attention from other clubs in England, so hopefully being involved with us will let others see that he's a very capable player."