O’Neill stays but Blackburn stint will have ‘turned heads’

O'Neill stays but Rovers stint will have 'turned heads'Michael O'Neill began his second spell as NI manager in December 2022

Michael O'Neill's decision to remain as Northern Ireland manager, rather than agree a longer term contract with Blackburn Rovers, is likely to have induced a collective sigh of relief in the corridors of the Irish Football Association and among supporters of the international team.

The Championship club were keen to retain the services of the 56-year-old after he steered them to safety from relegation during his interim spell in charge.

However, after some consideration, O'Neill has decided that his immediate future lies as a boss in the international arena rather than in club football.

With the Euro 2028 finals being held across Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, qualification for another major tournament is an obvious goal over the coming years, O'Neill having previously memorably guided Northern Ireland to the Euro 2016 finals in France.

O'Neill will now have further opportunity to shape his promising young squad, who have brought a renewed energy and excitement to the national team in recent times.

"I'm delighted he's staying. I think the progress of the young group over the past two or three years has been a joy to watch," former Northern Ireland defender Stephen Craigan told BBC Sport NI's Thomas Kane.

"There's no doubt there is lots of potential still in them, lots of growth still in them. And at this early stage of their development in international football, a change of manager may just have upset them a little bit with regards to their rhythm and their fluency and any cohesion they have built up over the last couple of years.

"Ultimately, short term he has committed himself to this young group of players and I think it will set them up for a couple of good internationals in the summer and for the Nations League starting in September and October."

Craigan added that there is plenty to be positive about looking to the future.

"They know there's more to come from them. Michael knows there's more to come from them, otherwise he wouldn't have agreed to stay.

"So when the players know the manager has belief and trust in them and is excited by what they can give over the next few years, that will give them a huge shot of confidence."

The 54-times capped former international defender, who regularly fulfils the role of an analyst on Northern Ireland's games, believes that further clubs could come calling in the future given the job O'Neill did at the Ewood Park club.

"There is no doubt he will have turned heads, making such an impact in what almost looked like a lost cause.

"Unless the IFA extend his contract there clearly is the potential of another club coming in. They will have a release clause of a certain amount of money. That's always the case with any manager's contract, whether it be club or country.

"But if they did look to extend his contract, which I would be more than happy for them to do, it probably has to be more stringent as regards club football. There would be no more loans involved as regards helping clubs out.

"It would either have to be a clean break or it's not. I think that's something the IFA should be looking at from that perspective."

The former Motherwell centre-back believes both manager and association should show a renewed commitment.

"Michael has to think about putting down some roots and saying, 'I'm going to be an international manager, that's it', and the IFA have to say, 'we want you to stay here for another three years beyond your current two years you have left on your contract, extend it'.

"But it has to be weighed heavily towards the IFA to try and protect them for every eventuality and I'm sure if Michael gets the terms he would like I don't see any reason why he wouldn't sign it."

Shea Charles and Conor Bradley are among the young stars in O'Neill's NI squad

Craigan said O'Neill's decision to stay will come as a major boost for a squad packed with youthful talent, such as Conor Bradley, Trai Hume, Dan Ballard and Shea Charles.

"The one thing you always hear when the players are interviewed, they speak very highly of Michael, they like the way he works.

"He has clearly improved a lot of them individually, even with regards to just tactical shape. The players have taken things on board and have made great strides.

"2028 was always the target for this group of players but, within that process, getting promotion to Nations League B was massive, a World Cup play-off spot came along with that, that was a big bonus as well.

"So there's lots of experience now, it was all about accumulating caps so that they could get as much experience at international level as they could."

Northern Ireland will face Guinea in Cadiz and France in Lille in forthcoming friendly matches in early June, followed by a Nations League campaign in the autumn in a group comprising Georgia, Hungary and Ukraine.

The priority, however, will be qualification for the next European Championships.

"The next step is going to be qualifying for a major tournament and I just think having Michael there beside them, having done that before, will give the players plenty of hope.

"We know they're heading in the right direction, there are little bits of fine-tuning that have to be done, at the top end of the pitch, being a bit more creative and finding a goalscorer.

"That sometimes comes as players get that bit older, but they look like a really strong unit and I think having Michael leading them will give them great confidence, especially coming into two international games in the summer.

"It would have been uncomfortable for them coming into these games. It would have been easy for them not to arrive for international football in June if Michael hadn't been there and there had been an interim manager in charge.

"It would have looked a little bit untidy but the fact that he has made this decision gives the players a major boost."

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