Northern Ireland play-off plan ‘at the minute’ for Michael O’Neill

O’Neill was appointed boss of Stoke last week but the announcement from both the Potters and the Irish FA said O’Neill would manager Northern Ireland for the rest of the qualifying campaign - whether that journey ends against Germany in Frankfurt on Tuesday or more likely next spring.

A number of players have expressed hope he would stay until the summer if Northern Ireland qualify, but O’Neill is wary of the pressures of juggling both roles and did not want to give a definitive answer on the eve of tonight’s penultimate Group C qualifier against Holland.

Northern Ireland are all but guaranteed a play-off place, but asked if he would be in charge, O’Neill said: “That’s the plan at the minute.”

Pressed on the matter, he repeated himself once before adding: “I think I answered your question, I’m sure I did.”

However, O’Neill insisted the Stoke job - which brought a 4-2 away win over Barnsley in his only match so far - had been no significant distraction in the build-up to this international window.

“I was only a club manager for one day,” he said. “I’ve only been there one day, which was Friday. One day’s training and then we played the game, so I haven’t had that much time to be a club manager. I’m still very much an international manager, while still keeping abreast of things at the club.

“I genuinely don’t think it’s an issue. The work which the (Stoke) players are doing which has been set by me is being handled by my staff and we’re pleased with what’s going on there.

“The week for me has been no different from any other week, it genuinely hasn’t.

“We got the work done, the players have been very focused.

“While we have an outside chance of qualification, we will do everything we can to take it to the final game.”