Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Big G was too big a risk for us
NORTHERN Ireland boss Michael O’neill insists it was too big a risk to bring Gareth Mcauley back for next week’s Nations League double-header.
The veteran defender has been left out of O’neill’s squad for games against Austria and Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Mcauley has yet to play for Rangers after sealing a move to Ibrox last month.
The 38-year-old also missed Northern Ireland’s opening Nations League defeat to Bosnia.
“It is a blow, but we are realistic,” O’neill said.
“Gareth just needs to get daily training at a good intensity with players, otherwise he is a huge injury risk, and that’s a risk I am not willing to take with him.
“It wasn’t a risk I thought was fair for Rangers either.
“So it is in everyone’s best interests that Gareth gets playing with
Rangers. It isn’t going to help him coming away with us for 10 days because there is a temptation for me to use him.
“And it wouldn’t be fair for me to throw him in against Austria or Bosnia, against Edin Dzeko or Marko Arnautovic, saying, ‘you haven’t played for four months, but on you go’. That’s not realistic.
“Gareth is fit, but he was fit because he was keeping himself fit. He wasn’t football fit.
“At 38, when you go in training, you need to be managed very carefully.
“But I hope to have him back for next month’s games (against Republic of Ireland and Austria).”
NI SQUAD: M Mcgovern, T Carson, B Peacock-farrell, C Cathcart, J Evans, A Hughes, T Flanagan, C Mclaughlin, P Mcnair, M Smith, J Lewis, S Davis, N Mcginn, S Dallas, C Evans, S Ferguson, G Saville, J Jones, O Norwood, G Whyte, K Lafferty, L Boyce, J Magennis, W Grigg, J Ward