Michael O'Neill delighted with 'strong' defensive options as he comments on Ethan Galbraith's and Callum Marshall's inclusions in latest squad for friendlies against Spain and Andorra

The Green and White Army will play Spain in Mallorca on June 8 before facing Andorra in Murcia three days later.

O'Neill has been able to recall the services of brothers Jonny and Corry Evans for the double-header, as well as make four other changes from his squad back in March as Ethan Galbraith, Dale Taylor, Aaron Donnelly and goalkeeper Pierce Charles have been drafted in.

Northern Ireland’s young side have built momentum in recent games, drawing with Romania and beating Scotland in March on the back of their Euro 2024 qualifying win over Denmark at the end of last year.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill is delighted with the defensive options at his disposal for the friendlies against Spain and Andorra

"The options in the back four/back five or whatever we decide to play are strong," he said.

"Daniel has developed a lot at Sunderland. He has had a few injuries this season and we missed him quite a bit in the last campaign.

"Hopefully Jamal is fit and available and gives us balance on the left hand side, Conor we know about and Trai Hume, Brodie Spencer and Eoin Toal have been terrific.

"Eoin has gone a little bit under the radar. The games he has come in he has played very well. This is only his second full season in English football at Bolton who will be disappointed they lost the League One play-off final.

"Having seen Bolton over the last couple of years they look like they are ready to go to the next level and Eoin and Dion (Charles) are ready to go to the next level individually.

"I think with Brodie he is a young player who has been asked to play in a lot of positions whether he plays on the left or right and I thought he had two very two games for us in Bucharest and Glasgow. There’s competition there and Ciaron Brown has got promoted with Oxford and will be in the Championship next season."

The aforementioned Galbraith is back in the squad for the first time since last June. Last summer the 23-year-old was released by Manchester United and joined League One Leyton Orient, playing 45 times and scoring five goals this season.

O'Neill commented: "I’ve wanted to get Ethan involved for a while. The problem with Ethan a little bit is that at his club they asked him to play at right back which is probably the position we are most catered for.

"Towards the end of the season he was back playing in his more natural position as a midfield player and scored a few goals. I think he was the Player of the Year there and Players' Player of the Year and has had a strong season.

"We all know about Ethan’s potential from a young age from when he was at Manchester United as a kid and if you can keep an eye on these lads, he is now in that phase where he is building his career at League One level with Leyton Orient.

"I think he deserves the chance to be involved in the international squad. I have not really seen him for a couple of years and the most important thing is he comes in on the back of a really strong season for his club."

West Ham’s Callum Marshall is named in the squad for the trip and O’Neill commented on the striker’s difficult loan spell at West Brom – which yielded just 55 minutes between January to April – before being mutually cut short.

"Your first loan for any young player is always difficult and it was a big step. Callum didn’t get the playing time at West Brom that he would have liked but the manager there and the club situation was to make sure they finished in the play-off situation and try to get through the play-offs,” he continued.

"It is not always the best opportunity to throw young players into that situation and I know from my own experience you can get mixed results with young players in the Championship. Callum is fine. This is just an experience in his career. He is a young player. It hasn’t gone as well as he would have hoped but he has to react to that.

"He has gone back and I was speaking to Kenny Brown, the Head of Academy at West Ham, who said he has done very well. He was still able to play in their U21 games because the rules permit that and he scored a few goals before the end of the season.

"He just has to get himself right. There is a change of manager at West Ham in the summer and being involved with us will do him no harm at all. If he can get game time that will be a bonus.”