Marcus Pedersen and Paddy McCourt both turned down the opportunity to play for their countries this week in order to stay at Oakwell and get more match fitness.
Pedersen could have won his fifth cap for Norway against Iceland on Tuesday after a late call-up but decided to continue his recovery from a gash on his ankle. Manager David Flitcroft said the striker, who came off the bench in the Reds' last two games, has had an 'excellent training week' and is now fully fit. McCourt also received a late call-up and could have added to his tally of 13 caps and two goals for Northern Ireland on their trips to Azerbaijan and Israel but wanted to stay at Oakwell.
Flitcroft said: "They wanted to stay and get themselves up to Championship speed on our training pitches. The commitment is great to see. They are fighting and scrapping and want to be a part of this squad. As a manager it delights you knowing that you are going to work with players who will fight for you."
