No eligibility worries for North boss O’Neill

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill does not expect the appointment of Martin O’Neill as Republic of Ireland boss to have a significant impact on the problematic issue of player eligibility.

One of the touchstones of Michael O’Neill’s tenure at Windsor Avenue has been his attempt to stem the flow of talented Northern Irish-born talent to the Republic. Darron Gibson, Marc Wilson and James McClean all went on to play for the Republic’s senior team despite being born in the north, while a handful of young players have played at age-group level for Northern Ireland before taking advantage of a Fifa-ruling that allows them to switch to the FAI banner.

The Irish Football Association (IFA) has worked hard at grassroots level to buck that trend as well as persuading Alex Bruce to play for them despite earning two friendly caps for the Republic.