Seventeen-year-old Nottingham Forest striker Dale Taylor has received his first call-up to the Northern Ireland senior squad.
The former Linfield teenager has been included by manager Ian Baraclough for next week’s final World Cup qualifying matches at home to Lithuania and Italy.
Reading goalkeeper Luke Southwood is named in the panel for the first time but Shayne Lavery is still injured.
Jonny Evans returns for the games at Windsor Park on 12 and 15 November.
Born in Oxford, Southwood, 23, is a former England Under-19 and Under-20 international and qualifies through his Northern Ireland-born grandmother.
He has been at Reading since he was eight years old and since returning to the club following a loan spell in Scotland with Hamilton Academical last season he has been the Championship side’s first choice keeper.
Hearts forward Liam Boyce has again asked not to be included, having also been absent from the last two international camps for family reasons.
Manchester United youngster Ethan Galbraith returns to the senior panel for the first time since the summer friendlies after impressing for Doncaster Rovers following his loan move to the League One side in August. Galbraith has been captaining NI U21s of late.
The matches at Windsor Park, against Lithuania on 12 June and European champions Italy three days later, are Northern Ireland’s final two Group C qualifiers.
Baraclough’s men are sitting fourth in the five-team group, having picked up five points from their six matches, but with their hopes of qualification over.
Taylor impressing for his club
Linfield academy graduate Taylor signed his first professional contract at Forest in December after moving to the Championship outfit last summer.
After recovering from an ankle injury, he has impressed for Forest’s Under-23s this season. He scored for Northern Ireland Under-21s against Scotland in the summer and has captained his country at Under-19 level.
Taylor made his senior debut for Linfield aged just 15, scoring against Cliftonville in the County Antrim Shield, and made a handful of first-team appearances before moving to the City Ground.
“I’ve brought Dale and Luke into the squad to see how they deal with it. It’s a chance to bring them in and around the squad, interact with the group and see how they conduct themselves, train and integrate,” explained Baraclough.
Evans missed all the games during the September and October international windows because of injury, while his brother Corry also returns after having to withdraw from the squad for the games against Switzerland and Bulgaria because of injury.
Preston midfielder Ali McCann is also back in the panel after sitting out the October double-header with an injury.
Hearts’ Michael Smith is not part of the 25-strong squad however because of injury, while missing out this time are Dundee United goalkeeper Trevor Carson, Leyton Orient’s Paul Smyth, Accrington Stanley forward Dion Charles, Sunderland midfielder Carl Winchester, Rochdale defender Ryan McLaughlin and Liverpool goalkeeper Liam Hughes, who is expected to figure for the Under-21s.
Northern Ireland squad:
Goalkeepers: Peacock-Farrell (Sheffield Wednesday, loan), Hazard (Celtic), Southwood (Reading).
Defenders: J Evans (Leicester City), Cathcart (Watford), Ferguson (Rotherham Utd), Lewis (Newcastle Utd), Ballard (Millwall, loan), Flanagan (Sunderland), Brown (Cardiff City), Bradley (Liverpool).
Midfielders: Davis (Rangers), McGinn (Aberdeen), C Evans (Sunderland), Dallas (Leeds Utd), McNair (Middlesbrough), Saville (Millwall), Thompson (Stoke City), Jones (Wigan Athletic), McCann (Preston North End), Galbraith (Doncaster Rovers, loan).
Forwards: Magennis (Hull City), Washington (Charlton Athletic), Whyte (Oxford Utd), Taylor (Nottingham Forest).
