Jonny Evans keen to make most of NI's Azerbaijan trip

Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans hopes the squad's extended time together will pay off with a vital World Cup qualifier win against Azerbaijan on 10 June.

Manager Michael O'Neill arranged a training camp in Manchester prior to Friday's 1-0 friendly win over New Zealand in Belfast and the squad will have a warm-weather training camp in Turkey in preparation for next Saturday's showdown.

"It's a long time to be away especially at holiday time but Michael is very determined to make the most of the time we've got and the game coming up... and we don't waste that opportunity and the time we're all putting into this," said Evans.

"The way the group is sitting after [a victory] it might be a case of just picking up one or two results to guarantee the play-off place."