Steven Davis has been told he's got no chance of being fit for a shock Northern Ireland return this June - unless he seeks out a miracle.
The 37-year-old faces a big summer of decisions as he undergoes recovery from a serious knee injury. He's out of contract at Rangers and he had been in regular contention for his country prior to that, but now must see if he can continue his playing days with Michael Beale's men or somewhere else. It could also be that the boots get hung up for good.
He was with the Northern Irish side over this week alongside fellow injured star Stuart Dallas as they regrouped for March internationals. Boss Michael O'Neill was delighted to see the Ibrox midfielder in and around the group, but when asked if he could appear in the summer, he replied to the Belfast Telegraph with a wry smile: "Definitely not Steven unless we get him to Lourdes or somewhere like that!
"It will be nice when those players start to become available again. Hopefully we are in a position where those lads can come back and join in at a time when it is exciting. Hopefully these lads can deliver it for the injured lads.
“It’s brilliant for Steven and Stuart to be here, they add a lot. We've got a lot of younger players in the squad and for them to see Steven Davis and Stuart Dallas about the place, it can only be a positive.
“I think it's good for the medical team to see where they are and it's a bit of a change for the players as well. When you've got long-term injuries, their clubs are brilliant but sometimes you need a change of scenery and they've had that the last couple of days.”
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