Huge Portsmouth favourite a surprise omission from his country's latest international get-together

Pompey winger Paddy Lane is a surprise omission from Michael O’Neill’s latest Northern Ireland international squad.

The 23-year-old, who played a key role in the Blues’ League One title success this season, has not been included in the 26-man party that will get together for friendlies against Spain and Andorra next month.

He’s one of six changes made by O’Neill following March’s international friendlies against Romania and Scotland, with the former Fleetwood man featuring for 62 minutes in the 1-1 with Romania in Bucharest. Lane joins Paddy McNair, George Saville, Ali McCann, Luke Southwood and Stephen McMullan in being left out this time around.

There’s also no place for fellow Ulstermen and Fratton Park team-mates Gavin Whyte and Terry Devlin. 

Their absences are understandable given Whyte’s form for Pompey this term following a free-transfer move from Cardiff last summer. Meanwhile, Devlin’s cameo appearance in the 2-0 final-day-of-the-season win at Lincoln was his first run-out in three months after he suffered a shoulder injury against Oxford in January.

However, no explanation has been provided on Lane’s omission following a hugely-impressive campaign that saw the forward score 12 goals and register seven assists as John Mousinho’s side secured the League One title with 97 points.

The last of those goal contributions came at Lincoln on April 27 as the four-times-capped Northern Ireland international scored in the 90th-minute to ensure the Blues ended the season on a winning note, while also putting the Imps’ hopes of a play-off spot firmly to bed.

Since then, Lane - who certainly enjoyed the Pompey ‘promotion party’ following victory against Barnsley on April 16 - joined his Fratton Park team-mates for a holiday in Las Vegas, as the players continued to celebrate their league win.

Forty-two days will have lapsed, though, since Lane was last in action against Lincoln and when Northern Ireland take on Spain in Mallorca on June 8. O’Neill & Co face Andorra three days later in Murcia on June 11.