Monday 13 November 2017 12:03, UK
Michael O'Neill has proved he is good enough to manage in the Premier League, according to Iain Dowie.
The Northern Ireland boss has been linked with a number of top-flight jobs, after guiding the home nation to the World Cup play-offs.
Northern Ireland lost 1-0 on aggregate to Switzerland on Sunday, after finishing second behind world champions Germany in the group stages of qualifying.
Speaking after the defeat to the Swiss, O'Neill said he was not focusing on his future, but Dowie told Sky Sports News that he expects that clubs will come calling soon.
"There'll come a time when there will be a knock on the door and someone will want Michael," said Dowie. "I suggest he might want a club job and with the job he's done he rightly deserves to get one.
"I think Michael deserves a run at that, certainly a Premier League or a top Championship job. At the moment, he wouldn't be out of place managing at the very top level.
"Man management is underrated and that's the key element at Premier League level. Michael has shown that he's managed his players very well.
"It's not so much that I worry about Michael's decision, I think people will come calling, and rightly so."
O'Neill also guided Northern Ireland to the knockout stages of Euro 2016 in France, where they were beaten by Chris Coleman's Wales in the last 16.
The Northern Ireland boss has been widely lauded for his success with the smallest of the home nations, but Dowie believes O'Neill needs to consider whether his squad is likely to be as strong in the future.
"He's got to look at what's ahead of him. Has he got enough of a talent pool in the under 21s, under 19s and under 23s that he thinks are coming through?
"The talent pool is stark and it goes to show how a great job Michael O'Neill has done. To get this far is a huge achievement on its own.
"My view is, could he have done any more? No.
"People talk about Scotland, I don't see that that might work. I know he lives there but does he want to live in amongst that cauldron."
