Tuesday 14 November 2017 22:48, UK
Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis says the players would "love" Michael O'Neill to remain as manager after their World Cup qualifying campaign ended in Switzerland.
A 1-0 aggregate defeat to the Swiss, which included a 0-0 draw on Sunday evening, saw Northern Ireland fall at the final hurdle in their bid to reach a first World Cup since 1986.
However, Northern Ireland can take heart from the qualifying campaign, which saw them finish runners-up behind Germany in Group C.
Captain Davis hopes O'Neill will decide to stay on at the helm, though he concedes other nations and clubs could come calling for the 48-year-old.
"I speak for everyone by saying we'd love him to stay and how important he is for us. He has a bit of time and decisions to make," Davis said after the goalless draw.
"Other nations and clubs will probably take an interest in him because of the success we have had, but from a selfish point of view we really want to keep him."
Before Sunday's encounter, Iain Dowie said O'Neill could quit if Northern Ireland failed to reach Russia next year.
After the match, Dowie, who was capped 59 times for Northern Ireland, admitted that O'Neill and the Irish Football Association could be quizzed on the manager's availability in the near future.
"When that decision comes, the IFA will have to tell Michael 'There has been an approach for you, would you consider it?'" Dowie said.
"Michael will have to consider that. He will have a month or so off to get over the disappointment. You can see he's hurting.
"Would I see people coming for Michael? Yes I would. And that's a decision he will have to make."
When asked if O'Neill had the quality to succees at club level, Dowie replied: "Absolutely. Very few decisions he has made have raised eyebrows. What he did from the first to second leg worked, he transformed the team."
"Getting out of the groups and into the play-offs was amazing, and I feel for him, because he's harking back to that [first-leg] result, where the referee was abysmal.
"The way O'Neill energised his team from that decision was shown in the performance. It was full of energy."
