Ceadach O'Neill withdraws from Northern Ireland squad through injury

Ceadach O'Neill has withdrawn from Northern Ireland's squad through injury, the Irish Football Association confirmed on Monday. The Arsenal forward will miss the final two Nations League group matches against Ukraine and Hungary, leaving manager Michael O'Neill without another member of the squad originally selected for the November international window.

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The Irish FA said the manager had named a 25-player squad for the double-header. Northern Ireland lead Group B2 with eight points from four matches and will host Ukraine at Windsor Park on November 14 before travelling to Budapest to face Hungary on November 17. The injury announcement did not specify the nature of the problem or a return date.

Michael O'Neill expressed disappointment at losing the forward and praised his contribution during the previous international window. In comments published by the association, the manager wished him a quick recovery and said the remaining players and staff were focused on building on their earlier performances to complete the group campaign strongly.

BBC Sport reported that the 18-year-old has four senior international caps, having made his debut against Guinea in June. He appeared from the bench in the Nations League victories over Georgia and Ukraine. At club level, he recently made his senior Arsenal debut by starting the Carabao Cup last-16 match against Fleetwood Town, which Arsenal lost on penalties.

His withdrawal extends Northern Ireland's list of unavailable players. According to the BBC, Sunderland defender Dan Ballard, Eoin Toal and midfielders Ali McCann and Jamie McDonnell are also ruled out through injury. Liverpool's Conor Bradley remains a long-term absentee. Manchester United goalkeeper Dermot Mee and Portsmouth forward Eoin Kenny have received their first senior call-ups for this window.

Northern Ireland have yet to concede in the competition, the BBC reported. Their opening four matches produced a win in Georgia, a goalless home draw with Hungary, a 3-0 victory over Ukraine and another scoreless draw at home to Georgia. They remain unbeaten, with the opportunity to secure promotion to League A for the first time.