Michael O’Neill confirms Northern Ireland focus but admits club game ‘always attractive’

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has confirmed his focus on international commitments - but described club management as “always attractive” following links with the vacant West Brom Albion position.
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill. Pic by PressEye Ltd.Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill. Pic by PressEye Ltd.
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill. Pic by PressEye Ltd.

O’Neill signed a four-year contract extension with the Irish Football Association in February 2018 following interest from Scotland and has now responded to the latest speculation over his Northern Ireland exit.

“There’s vacancies throughout the Football League at the minute and the Championship is certainly a very appealing league to work in,” O’Neill told BBC Sport. “But at the minute, as people know, I’m under a long-term contract with the IFA and have two very important games in June, away in Estonia and away in Belarus and that’s where my focus is at the minute.

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“We’re here in Manchester at a training camp to keep the players ticking over between now and those games and will have another one next week, so all the focus is on that.”

It is understood that West Brom officials have held preliminary disccusions with Lincoln City’s Danny Cowley - although speculation remains over a potential approach to the IFA requesting permission to talk to O’Neill.

“Those are things that, if it happens, you deal with that at that point in time, club situations have been presented to me in the past but at this minute in time my focus is purely on the games that lie ahead on June 8 and 11,” said O’Neill. “In the last four years, in particular, with Northern Ireland we’ve been successful, we’ve gone to the European Championships and been very unfortunate to miss out on the World Cup.

“We’ve developed a team in that period as well, we’ve a younger team now at this minute in time, a lot of young players still establishing themselves at club level.

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“It’s nice people maybe recognise the job you’re doing but in club management there’s a lot of speculation and a lot of names I’m sure linked with the vacancies out there.

“I’ve been an international manager now for seven years and at some point in time of course club football is always attractive.

“You can never plan too far ahead in football, the club game now there’s so much instability and the tenure of managers is so short-term.

“When you are looking to step out of a situation I’m in possibly, at club management you’re always looking at the structure of the club and that it’s right for me but my focus at the moment is purely with Northern Ireland.”