Former Northern Ireland star Steve Lomas believes Michael O’Neill rejecting an offer from Blackburn Rovers to remain in his international role is “very much a positive for the country” – and hopes this will be the end of future speculation prior to the 2028 Euros.

O’Neill was named interim Blackburn boss in February and was offered a three-year contract to stay at Ewood Park after helping them preserve Championship status for next season.

However, the 56-year-old has opted to continue in his role as Northern Ireland chief after “careful consideration” and will now lead his country into their Nations League campaign in September before a 2028 Euros qualifying bid.

O’Neill has taken charge of more than 100 matches across two spells with Northern Ireland – he returned in December 2022 after leaving Stoke City – and a talented young squad have undoubtedly made significant strides under his leadership.

placeholder image — Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill. (Photo by Ben Whitley/PA Wire)

With his success in the Championship, O’Neill could certainly be of interest to clubs who sack managers next season, but Lomas hopes his long-term future will be with Northern Ireland.

"It's nice to be settled and have Michael staying, it's very much a positive for the country,” he said. "I still think Billy Bingham is the best manager we've ever had but Michael would be runner-up in that list, which shows you how far he has come.

"To be talked about in the same breath as Billy Bingham is a great honour.

"He knows the squad and the good thing is the continuity. It would have been a hammer blow if he had left in terms of going forward.

"Everything moves on, but hopefully Michael will be committed for the next two years and the team can make strides forward.

"The Championship is such a cut-throat business. He has gone in there and kept Blackburn up, which is a great achievement.

"There's always managers coming and going in the Championship but let's hope we're not talking about the same thing six months down the line.

"Now that he's committed, hopefully it's up until the Euros campaign and we don't have the same scenario.

"It wouldn't be ideal if something like this happened again, but football is a strange game and you never know. Hopefully Michael is here for the next campaign...if he starts it he will probably finish it."

O’Neill has helped bring through the next generation of Northern Ireland stars after a golden crop, which included the likes of Steve Davis, Jonny Evans, Stuart Dallas, Chris Brunt and Gareth McAuley, retired across recent years.

With Conor Bradley, Trai Hume and Dan Ballard impressing in the Premier League and Southampton’s Shea Charles now one step away from the top-flight, Lomas feels the future is bright.

"If you looked at it two or three years ago, the likes of Steven Davis was retiring and things didn't look so good, but it's like anything, there's always new players coming to the fore,” he added. “Northern Ireland have always been able to bring through players and it's just trying to get that blend right between youth and experience.

"We're probably a bit too inexperienced at the minute but the good thing about that is the young players are getting plenty of game time and some of them now have 20 or 30 games under their belt.”