Arsenal teenager Ceadach O'Neill has withdrawn from Northern Ireland's squad for the November international break because of injury, the Irish Football Association has confirmed. The 18-year-old had been named in the group for the Nations League fixtures against Ukraine and Hungary.

Northern Ireland's disappointment

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill said the loss of the winger was a blow for the camp. "We're naturally disappointed to be without Ceadach for the final two games of the campaign," he said, describing him as "a great asset" during the previous window and wishing him a swift recovery.

According to Football.London, no replacement is being called up. The manager said the wider squad and staff were looking ahead to the two fixtures, with Northern Ireland chasing top spot in the group and promotion to Group A having taken eight points from 12 so far.

The same problem at Arsenal

Football.London reports that the fitness issue is the one that kept O'Neill out of Arsenal's Under-21 fixture against Aston Villa, a 5-2 win at Boreham Wood on Sunday. Daily Cannon also flagged his absence from that game.

The setback interrupts a busy period. Football.According to London, he was included among the first-team substitutes for the Champions League clash with Lille; he provided an assist in a 3-3 UEFA Youth League stalemate at Bayern Munich; and he began the Carabao Cup match at Fleetwood Town, creating Viktor Gyokeres' equaliser prior to Arsenal's penalty shootout defeat. According to Daily Cannon, he played in a UEFA Youth League match versus Slavia Praha last Wednesday and debuted for the senior side in the League Cup in October.

Eligibility question

Both outlets note that the Republic of Ireland had previously tried to persuade O'Neill to switch allegiance. They differ on where that stands: Daily Cannon says two more competitive appearances would secure him to Northern Ireland, while Football.London reports he is already tied after winning his fourth cap. Either way, Daily Cannon says he must wait until March for another international opportunity.

Photo: Arne Müseler via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, resized.