LATEST ON BALLARD INJURY

Dan Ballard has been named in Northern Ireland's latest squad despite being forced off against Brighton with a hamstring injury. Regis Le Bris admitted on Saturday that the extent of the injury is yet to be confirmed ahead of Sunday's derby, with Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill also waiting for an assessment on the 26-year-old.

MON SAID:

"There are a few injury problems. There were a few players who didn’t play for their club at the weekend, which is always a concern. Our medical team will liaise with the clubs to get clarity on those situations. We don’t know the exact extend of Daniel’s injury, he came off in the 64th minute - but we’re on top of all that. This is the nature of international football, these things are beyond your control. We’re without Conor Bradley and Jamal Lewis – who has just had ankle surgery – but other than that we are as strong as we possibly could be. I know every player will do everything possible to try and be fit and available to play this game. We just have to keep our fingers crossed for the players that didn't play for their clubs at the weekend [that] there is still enough time. There is 10 days until the game now and hopefully that is enough to still be as strong as we want to be."

RLB SAID:

“Dan had discomfort with his hamstring, so we hope it isn't too serious. We expect Enzo to be ready for Newcastle, it might be possible. For Nilson, we'll have to wait at least four to six weeks. Reinildo will train with us tomorrow, so that's good news. Nordi is getting better, we'll see for next week. It's always the same: you can take the risk, he might play against Newcastle, but if we lose him for eight weeks after, it doesn't make sense. We are always on the edge so we'll try to manage the situation properly.”