Northern Ireland: ‘Priority is to keep my place in the team’ – McConville

Northern Ireland defender Ruiri McConville said the friendlies against Guinea and France were “an opportunity to impress Michael O’Neill and show what you can do”.

Manager O’Neill recently signed a new deal keeping him in charge 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 at NI.

Now, with his full attention on Northern Ireland, he will aim to boost his young squad and build momentum for the Nations League campaign that begins in September.

In both of his spells as Northern Ireland manager, O’Neill has given young players a chance, including McConville who made his senior debut in 2024.

“The priority for me is to try to play again and try to keep my place in this team,” McConville told BBC Sport NI.

“It’s another chance to impress Michael and show him what you can do and hopefully hold my place in the big game on Monday (against France).

“I think having lost a few guys at the back, there might be a different feel about it this time. Again, I’m still trying to learn as much as I can from the guys here and obviously help the younger ones.”

Nine players included in the World Cup play-off squad that lost against Italy are unavailable for this international window.

As a result, O’Neill included uncapped Braiden Graham, Caedach O’Neill and Kieran Morrison in the squad.

McConville believes the friendlies are an opportunity for young players to make their mark on the senior squad.

“We’re a tight-knit group where you don’t feel out of place with anyone, so we’ll take that as an advantage,” he continued.

“I think we’re a good team and we’re still obviously quite young so guys can fit in well.

“It’s a good opportunity for them. I think they’ll hopefully have a runout in the game and show what they can do. They’ve already done that in training.”