Teenage Duo Braidan Graham and Ceadach O'Neill Join Northern Ireland Squad

Two teenagers who have yet to win a senior cap, Braidan Graham and Ceadach O'Neill, have been fast-tracked into Northern Ireland’s squad for June friendlies against Guinea and France, as Michael O’Neill leans hard into the next generation.

Graham, 18, has been prolific for Everton’s Under-21s, hitting 12 goals in 18 games this season and forcing his way into first‑team contention at Goodison Park. He made the bench for the Premier League trip to Nottingham Forest in December but is still waiting for a senior debut at club level.

O’Neill, also 18, has carved out a similar reputation at Arsenal’s youth ranks. The forward has featured prominently for the Gunners’ underage sides and was named on the bench for FA Cup ties against Wigan Athletic and Southampton, a clear signal of how highly he is rated in north London.

Now both are being pushed onto an even bigger stage.

Michael O’Neill, freshly tied down to a new contract that keeps him in charge of Northern Ireland until 2032, turns to youth at a time when his squad is badly stretched. Sunderland defender Dan Ballard misses out through injury, stripping the side of one of its most reliable pillars at the back.

Paddy McNair, a key figure in recent campaigns, is also absent after helping Hull City clinch promotion to the Premier League. Portsmouth defender Terry Devlin joins the list of withdrawals, further thinning O’Neill’s defensive options.

The problems do not stop there. Eoin Toal remains sidelined after missing Bolton Wanderers’ League One play-off final victory over Stockport County, while midfielders George Saville and Brad Lyons are also unavailable. It leaves gaps right through the spine of the team.

Amid the setbacks, there is at least one familiar name returning to the fold. Swansea City midfielder Ethan Galbraith has been included despite not featuring since the World Cup play-off defeat by Italy at the end of March. His selection hints at O’Neill’s belief in his technical quality and temperament, even after a spell without minutes.

Liverpool teenager Kieran Morrison, another of the emerging talents O’Neill has been keen to integrate, keeps his place in the squad and will look to build on his earlier involvement.

Northern Ireland face Guinea in Spain on 4 May, a useful staging post for the younger players to find their feet in senior international football. Four days later comes a very different kind of test: France in Lille on 8 June, the final warm-up for O’Neill’s side before the World Cup.

For Graham and Ceadach O’Neill, it is a rapid ascent. For Northern Ireland, it might be the first real glimpse of what the next decade under Michael O’Neill is going to look like.