Michael O'Neill hails Shea Charles' qualities as he makes 'easy' captaincy decision

Michael O'Neill said it was an "easy decision" to hand Shea Charles the captain's armband as Northern Ireland bring their Nations League campaign to a close.

O'Neill's men can finish the 2024 international window in style by topping League C3 as they wrap up the calendar year against Belarus and Luxembourg.

Charles, who will lead Northern Ireland out against the Belarusians at Windsor Park tonight, follows on from Trai Hume and Conor Bradley, who have captained the side in the last two international windows and O'Neill said he deserves the opportunity.

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"For me it was an easy decision," he said. "Shea is a player who since we put him in the team has taken an enormous amount of responsibility on the pitch for such a young player so putting an armband on him doesn’t change that.

"I think Shea has the attributes to play at the highest level of the game. He also has the temperament to play at the highest level and that’s what you are looking for as a captain. Whether Shea has the armband or not he is always going to be one of your leaders on the pitch. He deserves this opportunity.

"Since I’ve come in he has been available in every game and basically plays every minute so as a manager what more can you ask?"

Charles only found out before training on Thursday morning that he would take the armband but it is a moment he is relishing. "I only found out earlier on today, just before training," he revealed. "Michael pulled me to the side and told me and obviously I was buzzing.

"I can't wait. It will be a really proud moment and I'm looking forward to leading them out. I just want to lead my example on and off the pitch. Hopefully if I play well I can help others with me and keep the team together.

"Trai and Conor lead by example on and off the pitch. I’ll just try and replicate something similar to what they have done. They have been so important for our team in the last year or so."

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It has been a special couple of months for the Charles family as Shea was joined in the starting line-up for October's games against Belarus and Bulgaria by his brother Pierce for the first time.

"It was a very proud moment for myself and the whole family," said the midfielder. "We've obviously talked about playing for Northern Ireland together and it kind of came around quicker than we expected. I couldn't really be happier for him."

Pierce kept two clean sheets in last month's games with Shea impressing in the 5-0 thumping of Bulgaria, and he is hoping they can keep that form going. "There is a sense of confidence within the team," he said. "It's been there for a while now. We've had some good results, some good performances. Hopefully we can do something similar and get the win against Belarus."

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