O'Neill left disappointed as Laffety rules himself out of Northern Ireland games

O'Neill named the bustling frontman in his squad last weekend, only to confirm on Tuesday that the player had ruled himself out of contention. 

The news will come as a blow to Northern Ireland, who face Austria in Vienna on Friday before traveling to Sarajevo to face Bosnia the following Monday.

"Kyle Lafferty called me late on Sunday night to tell me that he would not be travelling on Monday to join up with the Northern Ireland squad as expected," O'Neill said.

"I am disappointed that he has ruled himself out of the two games but our focus is on the players who are with us and I will address this situation after the international period."

Lafferty, who has 68 caps to his name, is one of O'Neill's most experienced players and started the 2-1 defeat to Bosnia in Belfast last month.