Michael O'Neill feels some of his talented young players may have to learn on the job.
With eight senior internationals missing O'Neill has named a youthful squad for the crucial Euro 2024 qualifying doubleheader against Denmark and Kazakhstan.
Jonny Evans, Craig Cathcart and Paddy McNair make up the bulk of the caps throughout the squad, but while it may not be ideal O'Neill insists they just have to deal with it as they bid to keep their qualification hopes alive.
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"The next two games are going to be very important and then obviously we have a double away header in September which will be difficult so we are going to ask a lot of a number of young players in this group," he said.
"The senior players that we have with us at this moment in time, we really can’t afford to lose any more, for example between games or if somebody picks up an injury in game one.
"I think we have eight players out who could all equally play for us, who have all been established players with a high number of caps. That is the situation that unfortunately we just have to deal with.
"I think it is a different approach from taking a team and saying ‘right, how do we qualify? What is our route to qualification? How do we get enough points to qualify?’
"Of course, that is always in the background as well but I think it is more about the integration of the younger players as well and they will maybe have to learn very quickly on the job if we are going to take that next step.
"But that is not something that hasn’t happened before. Conor McLaughlin came in and played very early, I think he had two or three caps before he came in and played regularly for us in the qualification for Euro 2016, and more than held his own right throughout the campaign.
"The difficulty maybe is if you are in a situation where you have too many younger players in at the one time.
"For example, we finished the game against Finland with three 19-year-olds on the pitch. We have got seven Under-21 players in this squad, that is essentially 65% of the Under-21 team for want of a better word.
"All of those lads would be in the team, but that is where we are at this moment in time – they are the next players to come up.
"Look, the most important thing is that we go into these two games certainly believing that we can take points. The home game certainly is an opportunity.
"The Denmark game is the most difficult game in the group but I think we will be well prepared and sometimes that gives you an added edge when you come to the games in June.
"All the players are at the end of long seasons, their players are the same as ours and sometimes the games in June can throw up a bit of a shock."
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