Dan Ballard has welcomed Northern Ireland’s packed Nations League schedule as a “great opportunity”, with the defender back in the squad after missing the previous two international camps through a hamstring injury.
The 27-year-old sat out April’s World Cup play-off semi-final defeat by Italy and June’s friendlies against Guinea and France, and returns having impressed for Sunderland this season. After a frustrating spell on the sidelines, he said he is excited by the prospect of pulling on a green shirt again.
Because of a change in the international schedule, Michael O’Neill’s side will play four matches in this window for the first time since 2022. Northern Ireland travel to face Georgia on 25 September and host Hungary three days later, before a trip to Slovakia to face Ukraine and a home meeting with Georgia on 5 October.
“It is a great opportunity for some of the lads who haven’t got as many minutes as there will defo be opportunities this camp,” Ballard said. “There are some new faces and young faces who we are really excited to see come through.”
Ballard believes the depth available to O’Neill is easily overlooked. “Sometimes we forget how strong a squad we have and then you look at training and there are a lot of hungry players who want to be involved,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do, but there is a lot of talent and hunger.”
Balancing four fixtures inside an 11-day span is a demanding ask, but Ballard is confident the group is equipped for it. “The lads are now experienced enough, a lot of them play in the Championship and League One and there are a lot of games,” he said. “I am lucky enough to be playing in Europe this year [with Sunderland], so we have to get used to it. I think these four games will be really good for us.”
He added that the mental and physical load is part of the job. “The games are coming thick and fast and we just have to do everything we can to prepare,” Ballard said. “It is tough on the mind and on our bodies, but we love playing games and that is why we do it. I am sure we will be ready.”