Corry Evans recalls 'old heads' who kept him right during early NI career

Corry Evans accepts he is now one of the older, wiser heads in Northern Ireland's squad - a role he is more than happy to play.

The 33-year-old is a nurturing presence around Michael O'Neill's youthful squad after amassing an impressive 70 caps for his country.

The midfielder - who is without a club after leaving Sunderland this summer - is back in the international fold after recovering from an ACL injury which sidelined him for 15 months.

Evans has been named in O'Neill's panel for the upcoming friendlies against Spain and Andorra, which kicks off against the Euros-bound Spanish this Saturday night in Palma, Majorca.

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The experienced campaigner admits it is good to be back in the Northern Ireland squad, and is looking forward to working with some of the country's rising stars.

"It has been great watching them. I can't wait to get amongst them now," he said.

"It is going to flip now where I am one of the oldest in the squad, but I was once their age and once learning off the older players. I now have to pass on my experience and knowledge to the younger lads, from my club and international career, and hopefully it helps them."

Looking back to when he first broke into the senior squad in 2009, Evans says there were plenty of senior figures who kept him in check.

"I remember the likes of David Healy, Stephen Craigan, and the other experienced ones. I had them to look up to," he said.

"As you grow, I think there was a bit of a turnover during the campaign when we qualified for the Euros in 2016. We had a young nucleus of a squad then and we grew together. But we were guided by senior players like Gareth McAuley and Chris Brunt.

"We had a good mix of youth and experience. Hopefully I can help the younger lads now, along with the experience of Jonny (Evans), Josh (Magennis) and others."

One young player Evans is excited to see promoted to O'Neill's senior squad is Pierce Charles. The Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper is a brother of Shea Charles, who has already established himself as an influential force in the Northern Ireland side.

Evans - who grew up alongside big brother Jonny in the Northern Ireland ranks, believes the Charles pair can thrive under a similar spotlight.

"It's going to be great for Pierce. Their family will be really proud of having them both in the squad, as were mine," he added.

"I've trained with Pierce a few times, he used to come up and help out under (Ian) Baraclough when I was there. He's had a good spell.

"Michael thinks he's got potential. He's done well at Sheffield Wednesday.

"He's got every right to be called up. I'm looking forward to playing with them.

"I've watched Shea from afar lately and he's a player with huge potential. I love watching Shea, his calmness on the ball, how he reads the play, his technique and his timing.

"I think he's great. He's going to be another big player for Northern Ireland moving forward."

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