Shea Charles “Surprised” by Northern Ireland Captaincy, Aims to Lead by Example

Northern Ireland midfielder Shea Charles expressed his “surprise” at being handed the captain’s armband for the upcoming Nations League fixture against Belarus. This match will mark his debut as captain for the national team. Charles is scheduled to lead the squad onto the pitch at Windsor Park this Friday. Manager Michael O’Neill is continuing his rotation of the captaincy as he searches for a permanent successor to the recently retired Jonny Evans. The 21-year-old stated he is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to take on this responsibility. “It’s a really proud moment for me and my family and it came as a bit of surprise, Michael told me before training and I was buzzing,” he said. He added, “Conor [Bradley] and Trai [Hume] were captain the last two camps, but I’m looking forward to leading the team out.” Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill, who is rotating the armband throughout the Nations League campaign, believes that Charles “deserves” the chance to lead the team in front of a lively Windsor Park crowd, citing his consistent performance as the reason. O’Neill further remarked, “For me it was an easy decision, Shea is a player since we have put in the team that has taken huge responsibility, putting an armband around him doesn’t change that.” The manager expressed confidence that Charles possesses the necessary attributes, both during play and off the field, to excel as captain. “Shea has got the attributes to play at the highest level of the game and the temperament to do so and that is what you look for as a captain,” O’Neill explained. He continued, “Whether he has the armband or not he is going to be a leader on the pitch and since I have come in he has been available for every game, played every game so as a manager what more can you ask for.” The manager also indicated that Charles’s consistent participation in first-team football in the Championship, where he is currently on loan at Sheffield Wednesday from Southampton, has significantly contributed to his development as a player. O’Neill elaborated, “The biggest benefit to Shea playing in the Championship has been his improvement in his ability without the ball. We all know his abilities with the ball, but he has really improved without the ball.” He concluded, “Shea doesn’t need coached he needs games, the more games he plays will just elevate him.” When questioned about his envisioned captaincy style, Charles, who was a prominent performer in Northern Ireland’s 5-0 victory over Bulgaria last month and has earned 22 caps for his nation, stated that he intends to lead by example through his actions on the pitch, mirroring the approach of Hume and Bradley. “I want to lead by example on and off the pitch and replicate what they [Hume and Bradley] did, hopefully if I play well, I can help others,” Charles stated. He added, “There’s a sense of confidence in the team which has been there a while because we have had some good results and performances.” Charles expressed his desire for his team to capitalize on their significant 5-0 win against Bulgaria from the previous month. He acknowledged the necessity of delivering another decisive performance against Belarus, a team that previously held them to a disappointing 0-0 stalemate. “We can’t let the game get into a way they can control, in the first half we had so many chances but second half they sat deep and controlled it,” he clarified. “The Bulgaria game, starting well was so important and after the first goal it was bouncing and that is the atmosphere you want to create by playing well and scoring goals.”