Sought-after Sheffield Wednesday youngster to return from international duty after missing second match

Goalkeeper Pierce Charles played for Northern Ireland under-18s on Tuesday evening in a 2-0 defeat to their Austrian counterparts but was left on the bench as Celtic stopper Kai McLean took the gloves but was unable to prevent a defeat by the same scoreline. The two matches were development friendlies organised between the two nations.

Charles is highly rated both at Middlewood Road and on the international scene, where he is also being monitored by England with a view to possibly stealing him back having previously represented the Three Lions at under-16 level.

Just 17 years old and months into his professional contract, the progress of the former Manchester City youngster is a closely watched matter at Wednesday, where he is regularly training directly with the first team and has taken the mantle of third choice keeper.

Earlier this season Charles was given the opportunity to spend an international break with the Northern Ireland senior team and worked closely with former Owls stopper Bailey Peacock-Farrell, who is the nation’s number one.

Speaking after the second defeat for Charles’ side, Northern Ireland under-18s manager Gerard Lyttle said: “Over the two games I was really pleased with the level of performance of the boys.

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“I thought they put in a big shift in both games. The players took the information on board over a short period of time and they performed.”