O'Neill stays but Rovers stint will have 'turned heads'

• O'Neill turns down Blackburn job to remain with NI
• O'Neill named on Fifa technical group for World Cup

O'Neill 'will have turned heads'

The 54-times capped former international defender, who regularly fulfils the role of an analyst on Northern Ireland's games, believes that further clubs could come calling in the future given the job O'Neill did at the Ewood Park club.

"There is no doubt he will have turned heads, making such an impact in what almost looked like a lost cause.

"Unless the IFA extend his contract there clearly is the potential of another club coming in. They will have a release clause of a certain amount of money. That's always the case with any manager's contract, whether it be club or country.

"But if they did look to extend his contract, which I would be more than happy for them to do, it probably has to be more stringent as regards club football. There would be no more loans involved as regards helping clubs out.

"It would either have to be a clean break or it's not. I think that's something the IFA should be looking at from that perspective."

The former Motherwell centre-back believes both manager and association should show a renewed commitment.

"Michael has to put think about putting down some roots and saying, 'I'm going to be an international manager, that's it', and the IFA have to say, we want you to stay here for another three years beyond your current two years you have left on your contract, extend it.

"But it has to be weighed heavily towards the IFA to try and protect them for every eventuality and I'm sure if Michael gets the terms he would like I don't see any reason why he wouldn't sign it."

Young NI players 'have made great strides'

Craigan says O'Neill's decision to stay will come as a major boost for a squad packed with youthful talent, such as Conor Bradley, Trai Hume, Dan Ballard and Shea Charles.

"The one thing you always hear when the players are interviewed, they speak very highly of Michael, they like the way he works.

"He has clearly improved a lot of them individually, even with regards to just tactical shape. The players have taken things on board and have made great strides.

"2028 was always the target for this group of players but within that process, getting promotion to Nations League B was massive, a World Cup play-off spot came along with that, that was a big bonus as well.

"So there's lots of experience now, it was all about accumulating caps so that they could get as much experience at international level as they could."

Northern Ireland will face Guinea in Cadiz and France in Lille in forthcoming friendly matches in early June, followed by a Nations League campaign in the autumn in a group comprising Georgia, Hungary and Ukraine.

The priority however will be qualification for the next European Championships.

"The next step is going to be qualifying for a major tournament and I just think having Michael there beside them, having done that before, will give the players plenty of hope.

"We know they're heading in the right direction, there are little bits of fine tuning that have to be done, at the top end of the pitch, being a bit more creative and finding a goalscorer.

"That sometimes comes as players get that bit older, but they look like a really strong unit and I think having Michael leading them will give them great confidence, especially coming into two international games in the summer.

"It would have been uncomfortable for them coming into these games. It would have been easy for them not to arrive for international football in June if Michael hadn't been there and there had been an interim manager in charge.

"It would have looked a little bit untidy but the fact that he has made this decision gives the players a major boost."