O'Neill glad to have Magennis back in NI squad

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill says he's delighted to welcome back Josh Magennis.

The Charlton striker is fit again, after missing the March win over Norway due to injury. He's been named as one of the four strikers in the current squad, alongside Kyle Lafferty, Liam Boyce and Shay McCartan.

Northern Ireland host New Zealand in a friendly on Friday, before taking on Azerbaijan in Baku on the 10th of June.

Injury has affected the squad, with Jamie Ward and Will Grigg unavailable, and Conor Washington absent so he can get married.

However, O'Neill believes Magennis returns to the squad as an improved player, following his the move to London from Kilmarnock.

"Josh was an absolute bargain for the £250,000 Charlton spent on him. In that division, and the division above, other clubs are already asking about Josh, so he's making an impact down there."

"The competitiveness of the league is a good thing. He has to bring his physique, power, pace and goals to Charlton."

"We know when we put Josh on the pitch, we can see what he's capable of. He had a fantastic game against Azerbaijan here in Belfast, so it's great to have him available again."

Magennis finished his League One campaign with a total of 10 goals, and says he's now focused on the trip to Azerbaijan.

"I know that with the fundamentals we have, what Michael has instilled in us, and the quality we have in the team that anyone who takes us for granted will be punished. We've shown that many times in the last campaign - and this campaign - so we'll go to Baku with confidence we can turn them over again."