O'Neill prepared for fitness test ahead of World Cup qualifier
Last updated 24th May 2017
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill believes he's facing a challenge to keep his players fit ahead of the World Cup qualifier with Azerbaijan.
A training camp is taking place this week in Manchester, but it won't feature any of O'Neill's top-flight players, who will join up on Monday the 29th of May.
Due to Northern Ireland's squad being dispersed through the English football pyramid, the players will finish their domestic campaigns at different stages, with some Championship players not having taken to the pitch since April.
"It's those lads in the Championship that we have a little bit of concern about. We have a window until the 10th of June, and we just have to make sure they're in good shape for the game," O'Neill said.
The main squad will assemble next week and begin preparation with a home fixture against New Zealand on Friday the 2nd of June. The fixture will provide a much-needed opportunity for O'Neill to assess fitness levels and match sharpness.
"We'll soon have a 12-day preparation and build-up into the Azerbaijan game, and that will be difficult - there's no doubt about that. You can't really train the players in groups of 2 or 3 leading into it."
"We've had players in the League One playoffs. The lads in Scotland and the Premier League should be fine because their seasons finish later, and then we've Niall McGinn in the Scottish Cup final."
The training camp has provided O'Neill with the opportunity to take a closer look at younger players, while Doncaster defender Luke McCullough has been called up for the first time since Euro 2016 having recovered from a cruciate ligament injury.
O'Neill also gave his reaction to the Manchester concert bombing via Northern Ireland Twitter page