Diarmuid O'Carroll to stay on with Northern Ireland after completing 'really exciting' Newcastle move
Diarmuid O’Carroll has completed his move to Premier League club Newcastle United – but will retain a role working under international boss Michael O’Neill as Northern Ireland senior coach.
The 37-year-old will now operate as under 21s lead coach with Newcastle, with the club announcement also confirming O’Carroll “will continue with the role under former Magies player Michael O’Neill”, having moved into the Northern Ireland backroom set-up last March.
Killarney-born O’Carroll – who spent time in the Irish League across various roles as player or coach with Crusaders, Glentoran, Cliftonville, Dungannon Swifts and Glenavon, plus held a number of Irish FA positions – described the Newcastle opportunity as “a role I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into”.
"I'm really excited to come in,” said O’Carroll on the official Newcastle club website. “It's a role I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into.
"The club speaks for itself in terms of the size, stature and fanbase.
"It's a really exciting time now as well with the ownership and everything that is planned going forward.
"The opportunity to come in is something I would've never expected, but when it come across my desk, it was a really exciting one and a quick process."
O’Carroll has left St Mirren to join Newcastle, after working alongside former Northern Ireland international Stephen Robinson at the Scottish Premiership club plus previously with Morecambe and Motherwell.
Newcastle United’s Academy director, Steve Harper, described O’Carroll as “a young, progressive and ambitious coach, and will play a key role in supporting our talent pathway into the first team” and how “we have gone through a rigorous process, and in Diarmuid, we have an exceptional coach and person joining us”.
Paul Mitchell, Newcastle United’s sporting director, said: “Diarmuid is a very highly regarded coach and is a great fit for the profile we have been looking to recruit.
“He has amassed a wealth of experience during the formative years of his coaching career, working across youth, men’s and women’s club football and at international level.”