Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WE’RE LAFFING
O’neill says Kyle return to action is a big boost in World Cup finals push
MICHAEL O’NEILL believes Northern Ireland’s World Cup prospects have been boosted by Kyle Lafferty playing regular football at new club Hearts.
Lafferty, who joined the Edinburgh outfit on a two-year deal in June, saw just 321 minutes of first team action with Norwich City last season.
A frustrating lack of game time at club level meant the 29-year-old started four of his country’s six 2018 World Cup qualifiers to date from the bench.
In Northern Ireland’s last two Group C games, he featured for just six minutes in a 2-0 win over Norway and produced a lively 13 minute cameo in June’s 1-0 win in Azerbaijan.
But now Lafferty is back starting games again for Hearts, O’neill believes the former Rangers forward is primed to play a key role as Northern Ireland bid to reach Russia.
They lie second in the pool behind Germany with four games left and are in with a shout of securing a play-off route to next summer’s finals.
O’neill said: “I think Kyle playing consistent football has come at a good time for him but also for us. We all know what he’s capable of and we saw it in qualifying for France.
“The best part of the last two years has been very difficult for him because there didn’t seem to be any real opportunities for him at Norwich.
“It’s very difficult to train and not have that carrot of a game at the weekend. Human nature means you tend to drop a gear or two and
I think that happened to
Kyle. Having said that, I do think we still managed to get something out of him and I thought he came on for us at the right time in Azerbaijan.
“But the shame for me was that I didn’t feel he was fit enough to start games or hadn’t played enough games to be in the starting line-up.
“What you find then is, 15 or 20 minutes into a game, you’re looking at a player who is struggling physically with the demands of the game. It was important Kyle went somewhere in the summer where he’d play regularly and I think he has got that at Hearts.”
O’neill will be boosted by the return of Conor Washington (inset) when he names his squad today for next month’s ties against San Marino in Serravalle and the Czechs in Belfast.
The QPR striker’s wedding, arranged prior to declaring for Northern Ireland 20 months ago, meant he missed June’s crucial 1-0 win over Azerbaijan in Baku.
O’neill said: “Conor has scored three goals in
10 appearances for us so he has made a good start to his international career and he’s a player I like to have available.”
Burton striker Liam Boyce is ruled out with a cruciate injury while West Bromwich Albion defender Gareth Mcauley has a thigh problem.