Arsenal teenager Ceadach O’Neill has received his first senior international call-up from Northern Ireland ahead of the June break.
Northern Ireland have confirmed their list of senior call-ups for the June internationals, and Arsenal 18-year-old Ceadach O’Neill has made the cut for the first time in his young career.
The national team already know O’Neill well from his time playing for the Northern Ireland u16s, u17s, u19s, and u21s, but this will be his first chance to make a full debut for the senior team.
Unfortunately, Northern Ireland didn’t make it to the World Cup this summer, so their games are just a couple of friendlies against Guinea on June 4th and France on June 8th.
O’Neill has had a busy season with the Arsenal academy, playing across various levels.
For the u18s, the forward scored 11 goals and assisted one in just 16 appearances, an excellent return. He also scored two and assisted one in four games for the underperforming u19s in the UEFA Youth League.
O’Neill’s u21 minutes were more limited, but he scored two goals and assisted one in his seven starts. He’ll likely be an u21 starter next season, after ageing out of u18 football.
That will all have helped his case, but O’Neill’s performances for the Northern Ireland youth teams will surely have provided the biggest boost to his senior call-up chances.
The national team setup already know what they’ll be getting with the young forward, it’s just about getting him that valuable senior experience.
Northern Ireland have had a lot of luck with Arsenal youth products in the past, with Dan Ballard previously breaking into the senior national team whilst still with the Gunners academy. If O’Neill can follow in Ballard’s footsteps, he’ll have a great career.
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