OUTGOING Sunderland midfielder Corry Evans has been restored to the Northern Ireland squad along with his brother, Jonny, for next month’s friendlies with Spain and Andorra.
Corry, who missed the vast majority of last season after undergoing cruciate ligament surgery, has not played for his country since September 2022, but Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill was keen to reward the 33-year-old for the work he has done in getting back on to the pitch – and perhaps help him find a new club as he leaves Sunderland this summer.
The Black Cats confirmed Evans would be leaving as a free agent when his contract officially expires next month when they released their retained list last week.
Manchester United defender Jonny missed the March internationals as he managed calf and foot injuries.
“Losing Corry was a big blow to us in the last campaign and it has been a tough road back for him,” said O’Neill, who watched the midfielder come off the bench in Sunderland’s final three games of the Championship season. “I just think he deserves to be rewarded for that.
“Corry was always a player I would go to in the big games and this gives him an opportunity to come back and be involved. There’ll be a lot of clubs looking at Corry’s situation and hopefully they’ll recognise he’s still at the level he has been at for so long.”
Jonny, who is 36, is also out of contract this summer after making 29 appearances for Manchester United this season, far more than expected when he signed a one-year deal last summer.
“Jonny’s nursed himself through games and played with a few niggly injuries for a lot of the second half of the season,” O’Neill said. “I said if he needed a break, I’d be more than happy to go along with that, but he was adamant he wanted to play.
“We’ve lost a lot of big players in the last 12 months so having Jonny and Corry back is positive for everyone.”
Sunderland defensive duo Dan Ballard and Trai Hume have also been selected in the Northern Ireland squad for next month’s games.
The return of the Evans brothers is among six changes to O’Neill’s squad from March, with Ethan Galbraith, Dale Taylor and Aaron Donnelly coming in while 18-year-old Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles, brother of Southampton midfielder Shea, has received his first senior call-up.
But O’Neill is without two experienced players in Paddy McNair, who has been released by Middlesbrough, and George Saville. McNair is due to get married on the day of the Spain fixture, while Saville has been nursing a calf problem and will take a break.
Galbraith is back in the squad for the first time since last June. Last summer the 23-year-old was released by Manchester United and joined League One Leyton Orient, playing 45 times and scoring five goals this season.
“He’s had a really, really good season at Orient, who weren’t that far off the play-offs,” O’Neill said. “He’s also played in a number of positions.
“I still feel Ethan’s best position is as a midfielder but he’s shown his versatility when he’s been asked to play at right-back or right wing-back. I don’t think we’ve every doubted Ethan’s technical level or his talent. He’s rebuilding his career and it’s nice to be able to reward players.”
O’Neill’s side will play Spain in Mallorca on June 8 before facing Andorra in Murcia three days later.
Northern Ireland’s young side have built momentum in recent games, drawing with Romania and beating Scotland in March on the back of their Euro 2024 qualifying win over Denmark at the end of last year.
