Charles brothers and McCann out of NI qualifiers

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill will be without key midfield duo Shea Charles and Ali McCann for this month’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia and Luxembourg.

Southampton midfielder Charles misses out with a hamstring injury, while McCann fractured his arm in action for Preston North End last month.

Charles ‘ younger brother, Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles, is also absent with the shoulder problem that has kept him out of Northern Ireland’s past four games.

Oxford United defender Brodie Spencer is another absentee in a squad that sees uncapped Barnsley midfielder Patrick Kelly promoted from the under-21s.

The former West Ham player, who moved to Oakwell in the summer, has previously played 12 times for the under-21s.

Northern Ireland are third in Group A, three points behind leaders Germany and second-place Slovakia with two games remaining.

They face Slovakia in Kosice on 14 November before concluding their campaign at home to Luxembourg three days later.

Goalkeepers: Bailey Peacock-Farrell (Blackpool, on loan from Birmingham City), Conor Hazard (Plymouth Argyle), Luke Southwood (Bristol Rovers)

Defenders: Daniel Ballard (Sunderland), Trai Hume (Sunderland), Paddy McNair (San Diego), Conor Bradley (Liverpool), Ciaron Brown (Oxford United), Eoin Toal (Bolton Wanderers), Ruairi McConville (Norwich City), Terry Devlin (Portsmouth), Ryan Johnson (AFC Wimbledon)

Midfielders: George Saville (Luton Town), Isaac Price (West Bromwich Albion), Paul Smyth (Queens Park Rangers), Ethan Galbraith (Swansea City), Justin Devenny (Crystal Palace), Ross McCausland (Aris Limassol, on loan from Rangers), Brad Lyons (Kilmarnock), Jamie Donley (Stoke City, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Jamie McDonnell (Mansfield Town, on loan from Nottingham Forest), Patrick Kelly (Barnsley)

While Conor Bradley and Isaac Price may garner more headlines, Shea Charles and Ali McCann have become the fulcrum around which O’Neill has built his side.

The manager has said previously that McCann is the sort of player his side “miss the most when he’s not available”, while Charles is a driving force from midfield and perhaps the best passer of the ball in the side, something all the more important in the absence of his brother’s distribution from between the posts.

Moving Paddy McNair or Justin Devenny, who are regular starters at left wing-back and center-back, into central midfield is a possibility, but that would leave similar gaps open elsewhere.

Spencer would have been the most obvious choice to replace Devenny down the left flank if not for his own injury.

Without their entire starting midfield trio from their previous four qualifiers, who will replace Galbraith with Northern Ireland in the Slovakia game at least?