Shea Charles is set to become the youngest captain in Northern Ireland’s history when he leads the side out against Belarus on Friday.
The Southampton midfielder, 21, is currently on loan at EFL Championship club, Sheffield Wednesday.
Owls boss Danny Rohl is a former coach at Southampton, and has been instrumental in helping Charles develop so far this season.
The youngster’s influential performances in the green of Northern Ireland have clearly impressed manager Michael O’Neil.
Charles will become the side’s youngest-ever captain, beating Conor Bradley’s record set earlier this year.
Shea Charles’ Route To Becoming Youngest Captain In Northern Ireland History
Charles is a product of Manchester City’s academy. But after making just one senior appearance for Pep Guardiola’s side, he joined Southampton last summer.
Born in Manchester, he qualifies for Northern Ireland through his mother and made his debut for the national side in 2022. He has since earned 21 caps, and been integral to Michael O’Neill’s side.
Having struggled for minutes at St. Mary’s last season, Southampton allowed him to leave on loan in the summer, where he joined Sheffield Wednesday.
Charles has since racked up more than 1,000 minutes for the Owls, and has registered a goal and an assist in 12 appearances.
Primarily a defensive midfielder, he can also cover centre-back, something he did on occasion for the Saints last year.
Charles has featured for Northern Ireland at under-16, under-19 and under-21 level, making nine youth appearances before his senior debut.
Speaking about being announced as captain, Charles expressed his shock as well as his excitement.
He said: “It came as a bit of surprise with Conor [Bradley] and Trai [Hume] being captain in the last two camps.
“I’m just looking forward to leading the team out.
“I just want to lead by example on and off the pitch. Hopefully, if I play well I can help others with me and keep the team together.”
But manager Michael O’Neill explained he has every faith in the young midfielder.
He said: “For me, it was an easy decision.
“Shea is a player who since we put him in the team has taken an enormous amount of responsibility.
“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.”
Northern Ireland kick off against Belarus at 7:45pm on Friday, before travelling to Luxembourg on Monday.
