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Northern Ireland defender Ruairi McConville said the friendlies against Guinea and France are a chance “to impress Michael O’Neill and show him what you can do”.<\/b><\/p>\n
Manager O’Neill has recently signed a new contract to keep him at the helm until 2032 after turning down a full-time position at Blackburn Rovers, a job he held on a temporary basis at the end of last season while also at NI. <\/p>\n
Now, with his full focus on Northern Ireland, he will aim to grow his young squad and build momentum for the Nations League campaign which starts in September.<\/p>\n
During both his tenures as Northern Ireland manager, O’Neill has given younger players a chance, including McConville who made his senior debut in 2024.<\/p>\n
“The priority for me, it’s just trying to play again and try and keep my place in this team,” McConville told BBC Sport NI.<\/p>\n
“It’s another opportunity to impress Michael and show him what you can do and hopefully keep my spot going into the big game on Monday [against France].<\/p>\n
“I think missing a few boys at the back, it’s maybe a different feeling about it this time. Again, I’m still just trying to learn as much as I can off the boys here and obviously help the younger ones coming in.”<\/p>\n
Nine of the players involved in the World Cup play-off squad who lost against Italy are unavailable for this international window.<\/p>\n
As a result, O’Neill has included the uncapped Braiden Graham, Caedach O’Neill and Kieran Morrison the squad.<\/p>\n
McConville believes the friendlies are a chance for the younger players to make their mark in the senior squad. <\/p>\n
“We are a tight-knit group where you don’t feel out of place to anyone, so we’ll take that as an advantage,” he continued. <\/p>\n
“I think we’re a good group and we’re still obviously quite young so the boys can fit in well. <\/p>\n
“It’s a good opportunity for them. I think they’ll hopefully get a run out in the games and show what they can do. They’ve already done that in training so far.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n