Alfie Mulvenna made his mark for Northern Ireland U17s on Wednesday, scoring in a 4-1 defeat by Sweden in Spain.
The centre-back, who joined Palace as a first-year scholar from Larne over the summer, was then rested for Friday’s 2-1 victory over Switzerland, with the club having agreed to manage his minutes following a busy few weeks at the heart of Javier Alonso’s Under-18s defence.
Mulvenna returned to the starting XI on Monday, playing the full 90 minutes as Northern Ireland rounded off their Spain trip with a 2-0 defeat by Wales.
The three-match series forms part of the Young Greens’ preparations for UEFA Under-17 European Championship qualifying in November.



