Northern Ireland have appointed Michael O’Neill as their new manager, after he parted company with Shamrock Rovers.
The 42-year-old has signed a two-year deal with the home nation, and will take charge of the team from February 1st, replacing the outgoing Nigel Worthington.
O’Neill led Shamrock Rovers to consecutive domestic titles, and is honoured to be taking control of the national side.
“I am honoured to be chosen to manage my country. I am a proud Northern Irishman who was fortunate enough to win 33 senior caps and it was always an ambition to manage my country,” he told irishfa.com.
“To be entrusted with the role early in my managerial career is quite humbling but I am confident that we can make progress. Northern Ireland has a strong football tradition but one that needs to be refreshed with some more contemporary success.
“That is my primary objective – to restore a sense of belief and pride in what it means to represent Northern Ireland so that our players will want only to play for their country. That is how it should be.
“There is a huge amount of work to be done but with the right direction and the necessary passion good progress can be made. The board and the CEO have a clear plan for the future and have given me responsibility to set about the task of renewal within the context of a long-term plan.
“At the same time, in the interests of everyone involved, most particularly our supporters my job is to work with the players to sustain a competitive performance throughout the qualifying phase of the 2014 World Cup finals,” he concluded.
O’Neill’s first game in charge will be against Norway in an international friendly at Windsor Park on February 29th.
By Gareth McKnight
[ad_pod id=’writer-1′ align=’right’]