Thursday 9 October 2014 20:19, UK
Jonny Evans has been forced to withdraw from the Northern Ireland squad for the European Qualifiers against Faroe Islands and Greece due to an ankle injury, the Irish Football Association have confirmed.
Evans was suspended as the Irish began their qualifying campaign with a 2-1 win in Hungary last month. He had been struggling with an ankle problem which he suffered during Manchester United's 5-3 defeat at Leicester City on September 21.
The presence of Gareth McAuley, Aaron Hughes and Chris Baird means the absence of Evans should not be felt too keenly while manager Michael O'Neill has warned fans not to expect too much too soon from Evans' club team-mate Patrick McNair.
The teenager has shot to prominence in the last two weeks when injuries - including Evans' - saw him given hus chance with United against West Ham and Everton.
"Paddy is a young player with a great future who has come on a lot, made a huge jump in a couple of weeks," O'Neill said.
"It's great to see one of our young players break through and do so well at a club like Manchester United but the main thing is that we don't burden him with expectation at this stage.
"We don't need to place unrealistic expectations on him too early in his career. It's key that we allow him to enjoy the experiences he is having right now.
"Defence is a department we are well off in at the moment but he is certainly another option to consider and we will continue to monitor him. To have another Premier League player is a bonus for us."
Northern Ireland host Faroe Islands at Windsor Park on October 11 before travelling to Piraeus to tackle the 2004 European champions Greece three days later.
You can watch Northern Ireland tackle Faroe Islands on Sky Sports 5 from 19.45 on October 11 and the match in Greece on Sky Sports 2 on October 14 from 19.45.
