Jonny Evans is a major doubt for Northern Ireland’s World Cup qualifiers against Lithuania and Switzerland with a plantar fasciitis injury.
The Leicester defender was named in the squad but is struggling with the injury, which causes pain on the bottom of the foot around the heel and arch.
Northern Ireland boss Ian Baraclough wants to give the 33-year-old every chance of getting minutes under his belt in the friendly against Estonia on September 5, however, he faces a race against time in order to prove his fitness.
Ian Baraclough's Northern Ireland have picked up just one point from their opening two World Cup qualifiers
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Discussing the latest on Evans’ recovery from injury, Baraclough said: “He’s taken advice from professionals. It’s the type of injury that can go as quickly as it came but it’s been worrying.”
Evans has not featured for Leicester since the back end of the 2020-21 Premier League season, with his club side hopeful he may come back into consideration for selection after the international break.
Thursday 2nd September 7:30pm
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MacPhee leaves NI to join Scotland staff
Scotland boss Steve Clarke has added Austin MacPhee to his coaching setup.
The 41-year-old had worked with Northern Ireland for seven years and played a key role in helping the side qualify for Euro 2016.
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