Huge praise for Sheffield Wednesday starlet – but talented Owl dealt international blow

Charles, a highly-rated young goalkeeper for club and country, missed out on Wednesday’s trip to Germany and Austria as he turned out for Northern Ireland as they host the U19 Euros this year, but defeat on Sunday night means that their tournament is now over.

The stopper, who turned 19 this weekend, has played every minute of his nation’s tournament, however was unable to stop them falling to 2-0 defeat to Norway over the weekend, a result that saw them knockout of the competition in the group stages.

It wasn’t a tournament to remember for anyone in the NI setup, however Charles has come in for credit from his manager, Gareth McAuley, who believes that he’s got a future in the senior setup at international level.

“I’ve been with him for a few years and, right from the start, I have been trying to put him forward,” he told the media. “He’s one of the players who can make a massive difference to our football for years to come. If you want to play expansive football and control possession, he’s the man for the job.

“He’s had a sniff of the senior team over June, and I’m disappointed he didn’t get minutes – I thought he might have got minutes in one of the games, and I’m disappointed for him, but he knows it’s not far away, I’ve been saying that to him for a long time. It’s great he got the opportunity to experience that.”

Wednesday have a few days in Germany and Austria as they prepare for the 2024/25 Championship season, and with Charles’s side now out of the U19 Euros it may be that he jets out to their base outside of Munich in the coming days.