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Louise Thomas

Editor

Trai Hume will take the captain’s armband for Northern Ireland’s Nations League opener at home to Luxembourg on Thursday night as Michael O’Neill looks for a new generation of leaders to emerge.

O’Neill admitted there is no natural successor to Jonny Evans following his international retirement, and will name a skipper on a game-by-game basis throughout the Nations League campaign, holding off on appointing a permanent captain until the start of the World Cup qualifiers next year.

Sunderland full-back Hume, 22, was pulled aside at the end of Wednesday’s training session at Windsor Park and told he would be first up.

“I see how he plays for his club,” O’Neill said of Hume. “He’s a leader in a young team at Sunderland. He may not be the captain but he is a leader. He gets his chance to captain the team (on Thursday) night and I’ve no hesitation in saying he will do a good job.”

Hume spent much of his youth career at Ballymena and Linfield captaining sides at different age groups, and has been captain for Northern Ireland with both the under-18s and 19s.

He said it was a proud moment to get the honour with the senior squad, but he does not want it to change anything about his game.

“He told me after training there so he caught me a bit by surprise,” Hume said. “It’s obviously nice to hear that. I just want to take it in my stride and focus on the game.

“I know my family will be happy but I don’t want to let it affect me too much. It doesn’t really change anything for me. I’m just putting something on my arm. It’s still a game and I’ll be going out to win and to put on the best performance I can, and to help my team-mates out.”

Although Jonny Evans has retired and taken 107 caps’ worth of experience with him, O’Neill has added Corry Evans to his squad as the 34-year-old midfielder continues his search for a new club after leaving Sunderland in the summer.

And O’Neill also has the experience of both Steven Davis and Stuart Dallas around, with Davis part of his backroom staff and Dallas joining sessions this week, having asked to take part as he starts his coaching badges.

Having those former players around has helped ease the transition amid a major turnover in players in recent months. Corry Evans is one of only five players who started Northern Ireland’s last meeting with Luxembourg in March 2022 who remain in the squad.

“It hasn’t been easy,” O’Neill said of the managing that change. “You’ve got to be prepared to lose games. There’s not a huge amount of experience but I believe there is quality and over time they will gather experience and that little bit of know-how in how to win games.”

Jamal Lewis missed Wednesday’s training session as he travelled back from Brazil after sealing a loan move from Newcastle to Sao Paulo, but the 26-year-old was due in Belfast later in the day and O’Neill was optimistic he would be able to play some role in Thursday’s match.

“This is a very exciting opportunity, Sao Paulo have a lot to play for,” O’Neill said. “I have to commend him on making that decision.

“It would be very easy to sit in Newcastle and not go out, but he’s got a real appetite for it and he believes this could open up other opportunities in the world for him if it goes well, so we support him in the decision and we wish him well.”

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