Iron captain Rory McArdle has been named in Northern Ireland’s 23-man squad for their upcoming World Cup play-off matches.
The 30-year-old links up with his national side for the first time since 2016, as they face Switzerland over two legs for a place in the competition hosted in Russia next year.
His last appearance for his country came in 2014, when he played 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw against Israel in a World Cup qualifier. He has been capped on seven occasions, making three starts and four substitute appearances.
Michael O’Neill’s side finished second to Germany in their qualifying group and will face Switzerland twice in three days - firstly at Windsor Park on Thursday, November 9th before the return leg on Sunday, November 12th at St Jakob-Park in Basel.
As a result of the call-up, McArdle will be unavailable for the Iron’s home league encounter against Bristol Rovers on Saturday, November 11th.