Daniel Ballard set to lead Northern Ireland as Jonny Evans misses Andorra game

Jonny Evans will play no part in Northern Ireland’s friendly against Andorra on Tuesday night with Daniel Ballard set to take the captain’s armband in Murcia.

Evans, who has dealt with a number of injury niggles throughout the season at Manchester United, played the full 90 minutes of Saturday’s 5-1 loss to Spain in Palma and Michael O’Neill has opted to allow the 36-year-old to rest. Evans did not travel with the rest of the team on Sunday.

Ballard, who scored Northern Ireland’s goal against Spain when they took a shock early 1-0 lead, will now get the honour of captaining his country for the first time at the Estadio Nueva Condomina in Murcia.

Saturday may have been a humbling night but O’Neill said he wanted his side to play with confidence in an encounter where it should be their turn to dominate.

Dale Taylor is feeling SHARP