Swansea City midfielder Ethan Galbraith has been named in the Northern Ireland squad for upcoming friendly matches against Guinea and France next month, despite not having played since a friendly against Wales on March 31.
The 24-year-old midfielder participated for 80 minutes in Cardiff, but returned to Swansea with a calf complaint, causing him to miss the final seven matches of the Championship season.
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Prior to his injury, the midfielder or right-back had a successful debut season in South Wales. After Galbraith’s season ended unexpectedly, Swansea manager Vitor Matos had hoped to provide one of his standout players a chance for rest during the summer.
“I don’t see the logic in [Galbraith participating in] the international break, but I’ll leave that to the medical teams of both Swansea and the national squad,” Matos stated in April.
“Considering his injury situation, it would be best for him to rest. It’s a discussion that needs to happen among the relevant parties to determine the best course of action.”
With both Northern Ireland and Wales not qualifying for this summer’s World Cup, Michael O’Neill’s team will face Guinea on Saturday, June 4, followed by a match against France the following Monday, June 6.
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Matos will also keep an eye on other squad members competing on international duty in the coming weeks.
Defender Ben Cabango is the sole player from Swansea named in the Wales selection for friendlies in early June against Ghana and Romania.
South Korea winger Eom Jisung and New Zealand‘s Mark Stamenic are both set for busy summers as they’ve been included in their respective World Cup squads.
They may also be joined at the tournament by Australia center-back Cameron Burgess and defender Ricardo Santos, if he is named to the squad by Cape Verde.