NORTHERN Ireland boss Michael O’Neill expects to be without Aberdeen winger Niall McGinn for June’s crucial Euro 2020 double header in Estonia and Belarus.
McGinn’s season is over after he snapped ankle ligaments in training on Saturday - 24 hours before his club’s 3-0 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic at Hampden.
It is estimated the 31-year-old will be sidelined for up to three months, meaning he is a major doubt for the games against Estonia and Belarus on June 8 and 11.
Northern Ireland players in focus: How those in England fared at the weekend
The Estonian qualifier in Tallinn is now under eight weeks away and the early prognosis indicates McGinn faces a race against time to be included in O’Neill’s squad when it is named at the end of May.
Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes told BBC Scotland: “He snapped his ligament and will be out for two or three months.”
On the training ground incident, he added: “We were about 90 seconds away from naming the team and going through all our work and Niall just really innocuously twisted his ankle.
“Unfortunately for us we knew it was serious right away.”
Northern Ireland lie top of Euro 2020 qualifying Group C after recording maximum points from their opening two pool games.
McGinn scored in a 2-0 home win over Estonia on March 21, while a late Josh Magennis goal secured a dramatic 2-1 win over Belarus at Windsor Park three days later.
After June’s crucial double header in Estonia and Belarus, Northern Ireland welcome Germany to Belfast on September 9.
A trip to face the Netherlands follows in October, before the campaign concludes with games against the Dutch (H) and Die Mannschaft (A) on November 16 and 19.
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