NI squad only picked on merit - O'Neill

Michael O'Neill returned to the Northern Ireland job in 2022 [Getty Images] Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill has said he would never take Fifa eligibility rules into consideration when selecting his squad. Reaching four senior caps for a country rules out a future switch of international allegiance with the regulations again in the spotlight with regards to Arsenal teenager Ceadach O'Neill. The 18-year-old won his first two Northern Ireland caps in June friendlies against Guinea and France, and is in the squad for an upcoming Nations League quadruple-header, but has also been subject to an approach from the Republic of Ireland. After stating that he does not feel it is fair to ask teenagers to make "irreversible" decisions on their international future, Michael O'Neill said he would not consider bringing players into the squad with a view to tying them to Northern Ireland before other associations show interest. "I wouldn't just put a player on the pitch for that because that would be unfair on the player and I've never done that," he said. "I've never put a player on the pitch from that point of view. I've always tried to be fair across the board if players deserve the opportunity to play, which Ceadach did. "Because he trained so well, he got the opportunity to play." Northern Ireland's latest Nations League campaign starts away to Georgia on 25 September and Ceadach O'Neill is one of four teenagers in the squad alongside Blackburn Rovers defender Tom Atcheson, Everton forward Braiden Graham and Kieran Morrison - the Liverpool winger currently on loan at Sheffield Wednesday. Atcheson and Morrison were both born in England but qualify for Northern Ireland through grandparents and represented the side at underage level before making their senior bows in March and June respectively. "Kieran deserved the chance to play because he'd been around the Liverpool first team. He'd been showing up well in training as well, both in March and June," said O'Neill after naming a 28-man squad for the four-game window. "Braiden is the same. They're there because this is the next step for them. I believe being part of the senior international squad will help them, will help their club careers, but they merit a place in a 28-man squad. They merit their place in that squad over some players that aren't in my opinion. "My job is to protect the national team going forward and to build the squad as strong as possible. To do that you have to look at your young players." Entrusting young players with key roles, in many cases before they are established at their club sides, has been common practice for Northern Ireland in recent years. Conor Bradley, Isaac Price and the Charles brothers, Shea and Pierce, all made their international debuts as teenagers, while Sunderland pair Dan Ballard and Trai Hume broke into the side as 20-year-olds. O'Neill himself won his first cap at 18 in 1988 and cited Norman Whiteside making an international debut as a 17-year-old at the 1982 World Cup as another example of how the side relied on early exposure for young players long before any eligibility issues came to the fore. "This is not new for Northern Ireland. We've done this in the past," he added. "I understand how this works. We're doing it based on the level of the player and that's the most important thing."