Linfield chairman praises David Healy 'loyalty he has shown' after 'key' yes
Linfield chairman Roy McGivern celebrated securing manager David Healy on a fresh contract by calling the decision “key” to the push for “further success”.
Weekend reports suggested Healy was set to leave Linfield after eight years in charge of the Irish League and sign with Scottish Championship outfit Raith Rovers.
However, Linfield yesterday confirmed Healy would remain in charge at Windsor Park on new terms – with the one-year contract extension moving the former Northern Ireland international past a decade as Blues boss to the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
The Blues sit top of the Sports Direct Premiership table with maximum points following wins over Ballymena United, Dungannon Swifts, Glenavon and Loughgall.
With Larne having collected back-to-back Gibson Cup title honours, Linfield will target bringing the Irish League premier prize back to Belfast as a priority – with McGivern convinced Healy’s contract boost stands central to chances of success.
“We are delighted that David has committed to the club for a further year and would commend him for the loyalty he has shown to the club,” said McGivern on the official Linfield website following confirmation of the Healy news. “We are now totally focused on bringing further success to the club and believe that retaining David’s services as manager is key to achieving that.
“I trust that this will put an end to the recent speculation about David’s future at the club and we now look ahead to our next fixture against Portadown on Friday night with David hopefully leading us to three points to maintain our excellent start to the season.
"The target this season is to bring the Gibson Cup back to Windsor Park and I know that our loyal supporters will fully get behind the manager and the team to help us achieve that aim.”
Linfield defender Sam Roscoe offered an insight into Healy’s value following Saturday’s win over Loughgall.
Roscoe highlighted in his post-match interview how “I have so much time for him and I love playing for him” and “what he has done over the years is unbelievable and to win the amount of trophies he has”.