Although March’s defeat by Italy understandably brought frustration, there remains a strong belief that this young group’s greatest opportunities to qualify for major tournaments will come in future campaigns.
Among the players who started in Bergamo, Hull City defender Paddy McNair, 31, was the only one over the age of 26.
The 28-player squad announced last week had an average age of only 24, while teenagers Ceadach O’Neill, Kieran Morrison, Braiden Graham and Tom Atcheson added further youth to the group.
Aside from McNair, the squad contains just two other players aged 30 or above: central forwards Dion Charles, 30, and Josh Magennis, 36.
O’Neill is nevertheless likely to continue using 21-year-old Jamie Donley as the leading striker while preparing the team for upcoming qualification campaigns.
The Tottenham Hotspur forward has two goals from 10 international appearances and has started Northern Ireland’s last five matches, despite experiencing a challenging 2025-26 club season during loan spells with Stoke City and Oxford United.
After taking part in Tottenham’s pre-season preparations, Donley will spend the current campaign on loan at Luton Town in League One, the division where he performed impressively for Leyton Orient in 2024-25.
O’Neill said that the difficulties Donley faced last season were largely caused by circumstances outside the player’s control.
He felt Donley was not given a fair amount of playing time at Stoke, while an injury in the opening match of his second loan interrupted that spell. However, O’Neill believes the forward performed well whenever he was available.
According to O’Neill, regular football is now the main priority for Donley. He considers him a highly promising young player with all the necessary qualities and believes Luton is a suitable destination, while noting that the forward remains tied to Tottenham on a long-term contract.
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