Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill is set to join Championship club Blackburn Rovers, initially on a joint role until the end of the season.
Northern Ireland face Italy in a World Cup play-off semi-final in March and then either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina in a final or friendly, depending on the result in Bergamo.
O’Neill would be involved for both matches and the World Cup finals, should Northern Ireland qualify against the odds.
He could then take over as manager at Ewood Park on a permanent basis.
Former Northern Ireland midfielder Damien Johnson will take charge with O’Neill at Blackburn until the end of the current campaign.
Should a deal with the Irish FA be agreed quickly, O’Neill could be in charge for Saturday’s game with Championship game at Queen’s Park Rangers.
Blackburn are currently 22nd in the table and are outside of safety on goal difference.
They have been without a manager since Valerien Ismael left his role on 2 February, with Johnson taking interim charge.
O’Neill, 56, had a similar agreement with Stoke City when his first tenure came to a close in 2020, where he would combine duties with club and country.
However, the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the Euro 2020 play-offs and O’Neill left his role before those games took place.
He returned to the international dug out in 2022 and signed a contract until after the Euro 2028 campaign.
Northern Ireland are aiming to qualify for a first World Cup in 40 years, and a first major tournament since O’Neill guided his country to the Euro 2016 finals in his first spell.
He was at the Nations League draw on Thursday, where NI drew Hungary, Ukraine and Georgia, but did not speak to the media in Brussels.
Leave a Reply