Michael O'Neill has returned as Northern Ireland manager on a five-and-a-half year contract; O'Neill spent just over nine years in the role between 2011 and 2020; first game for former Stoke City boss will be away to San Marino in a European Championship qualifier in March
Wednesday 7 December 2022 17:30, UK
The Irish FA has agreed a deal for Michael O'Neill to return as Northern Ireland manager on a five-and-a-half year contract.
It follows weeks of talks with the former Stoke City boss, who was the number one target.
O'Neill spent just over nine years in the role between 2011 and 2020.
His first game will be be away to San Marino in a European Championship qualifier on March 23 followed by a return to Belfast as they host Finland three days later.
O'Neill told Sky Sports News: "I've been given an opportunity by the Association, a five-and-a-half year contract, to build something.
"Not only to build in the short-term, the qualification for Euro 2024 campaign starting in March, but also beyond that.
That's something rarely afforded in club football, so to get the chance to do that here with the IFA was something which was too good to turn down."
Former Northern Ireland manager Ian Baraclough was sacked in October after narrowly avoiding relegation to the bottom tier of the Nations League.
Baraclough lost 14 of his 28 games in charge, only beating Lithuania, Kosovo, Estonia, Malta and Luxembourg during his two-year reign.
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill told Sky Sports News:
"The situation with Ian leaving, and I had left Stoke towards the end of August, so I suppose it's a timing thing as much as anything else.
"First of all, the Association made it known they would like to give me the opportunity to come back. That was hugely significant.
"I always felt if the opportunity came I would take it, I didn't know when in my career that would happen and probably thought it would be further down the road.
"But given the opportunity and having spoken to some of the senior players, I'm only too glad and humbled to be given the opportunity.
"I didn't have doubts about the job, but maybe about the timing of everything. How would I feel about looking for an opportunity in club football, or stepping back into a job I'm very familiar with?
"You have to analyse that in your own head, look at what's out there and the opportunities which may or may not exist.
"But the big thing for me is I love doing this job, I did it for eight years and had huge challenges at first. It was a very enjoyable time, everyone looks on it very favourably but there were challenges as there will be going forward."
Sky Sports reporter Paul Gilmour:
"Michael O'Neill is back for a second spell in charge. He has signed a five-and-a-half-year contract. That is quite significant. That of course takes him through until past Euro 2028 - when Belfast could be one of those host cities, if that all comes together.
"It was the unanimous choice of the board as soon as the European qualifiers draw was made. The fact that they got quite a decent draw, it could have been much worse for them as a pot five side - that was a real factor.
"And the fact that Michael O'Neill was out of work, having left Stoke. The work that he did in the first spell, taking them to their first-ever European Championships. They came up agonisingly short against Switzerland in their bid for a World Cup.
"He knows the role inside out. He knows the job. He's loved by the players. It made perfect sense to bring him back.
"He will work very closely with the newly appointed technical director at the Irish FA, that's Aaron Hughes, the former player.
"Remember he put a lot of mechanisms in place at youth level, and the work he did right down the pyramid of Northern Irish football. He's maybe going to see some of the benefits of that."
