Pierce Charles, 19, suffered a shoulder injury during Sheffield Wednesday's Championship defeat by Stoke City and has been ruled out of Northern Ireland's opening two World Cup qualifiers after further assessment and a second medical opinion. Northern Ireland travel to Luxembourg on 4 September and face Germany four days later, with both games broadcast on BBC Two NI, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. Manager Michael O'Neill confirmed Charles' absence and said Plymouth goalkeeper Conor Hazard is also unavailable through injury, leaving Northern Ireland thin at goalkeeper. O'Neill will assess options and name a replacement before the squad meet-up next Sunday, with Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Luke Southwood among potential call-ups.
Charles, 19, injured his shoulder in Wednesday's defeat by Stoke City in the Championship. He had been named by manager Michael O'Neill in the initial squad on Thursday, but he has now been ruled out after further assessment. Northern Ireland travel to Luxembourg in their opening qualifier on 4 September and take on Germany four days later. Both games will be broadcast on BBC Two NI, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
Bailey Peacock-Farrell is an experienced option for O'Neill but had not been named in a squad since September 2024, and Luke Southwood has only won one international cap. "We're stretched a bit in that situation," O'Neill added. "Bailey is an experienced goalkeeper with 48 caps and playing on a regular basis with Blackpool, so you have to make the best of all situations."
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