Michael O'Neill has decided his immediate future is in international football, rejecting a longer-term return to club management after a short spell with Blackburn Rovers and a second run in charge of Northern Ireland. The 56-year-old, who began his second spell with the national team in December 2022, will now lead a side that is shaping toward Euro 2028.

Stephen Craigan said O'Neill's choice was no surprise after the way he steadied Northern Ireland and then steered Blackburn to safety from relegation during his interim spell. Craigan said O'Neill had made such an impact in what almost looked like a lost cause that he would have turned heads again, and warned that unless the IFA extend his contract there is clearly a chance of another club moving for him.

For Northern Ireland, the decision gives continuity to a project that has started to take on a different feel under O'Neill. Craigan said he is delighted O'Neill is staying and pointed to the progress of the young group over the past two or three years as a joy to watch. That matters now because the team is building around a promising squad while the Euro 2028 finals are set to be played across Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

The tension for the IFA is obvious. O'Neill's value is not just what he has done, but what he has shown he can do when a club comes calling. He previously guided Northern Ireland to Euro 2016 in France, and his work at Blackburn underlined that his reputation reaches beyond the international game. If the IFA want to keep him through the next phase, Craigan argued the terms may have to be tighter around any future club interest.

That leaves Northern Ireland with momentum, but also with a decision to make over how firmly it wants to lock in the manager who has helped restore belief. O'Neill has already proved he can lift a side in trouble and carry a national team into a major finals; the next question is whether the IFA moves soon enough to keep that continuity in place.