Michael O'Neill chose to remain as Northern Ireland manager by extending his contract with the Irish FA until 2032. He previously considered a full-time move to Blackburn Rovers but felt it was not the right time to step away from the Northern Ireland role. He described Northern Ireland as a different type of job and said he enjoys working with a young squad. Players such as Conor Bradley, Trai Hume, and the Charles brothers are part of the current group, with additional talent already emerging. O'Neill previously led Northern Ireland to the Euro 2016 finals and now has three opportunities under his new deal to reach another major tournament final.
"O'Neill said he had "a great offer" to stay at Blackburn and COO Suhail Pasha "did everything possible to convince me to stay". "I just felt that it wasn't the right thing for me to step away from the Northern Ireland job more than anything else. "As attractive as the Blackburn situation was, I just felt that I wanted to continue in this role.""
"The 56-year-old said it was a "different type of job" with Northern Ireland and he enjoys working with his young squad. The likes of Conor Bradley, Trai Hume and the Charles brothers, Shea and Pierce, are headlining the new generation, but beyond that the next crop are already starting to come through."
"O'Neill famously guided Northern Ireland to the Euro 2016 finals in his first stint in charge. He now has three chances under his current deal to reach another tournament finals with his new group of players. "Obviously the opportunity to try and develop the team further and get to a major tournament is something that I think would probably supersede anything I could do in club football. "That was a big factor in it, and the IFA were really positive about extending my contract, which I'm grateful for.""
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