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Will Scotland sign Michael O’Neill away from Northern Ireland?

By Nick McAdam

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - NOVEMBER 09: Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill during the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier Play-Off first leg between Northern Ireland and Switzerland at Windsor Park on November 9, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - NOVEMBER 09: Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill during the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier Play-Off first leg between Northern Ireland and Switzerland at Windsor Park on November 9, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) /
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Team Scotland are in desperate need of a new boss. Failing to qualify for the World Cup only meant that time was ticking for Gordon Strachan.

Now that the former manager stepped down, a rather huge vacancy has been created for the Scots. The national team does have some time to get things sorted out, and recent reports suggest that Scotland may be closing in on their preferred target.

Michael O’Neill also failed to qualify for Russia in the summer of 2018 as Northern Ireland drew with 11th ranked Switzerland. That isn’t to say that O’Neill is well qualified for the job, and that might be the reason that Scotland have been trying to pursue him for months.

In 178 matches, the Northern Irish boss has posted a record of 85-45-48, which is good for close to 2 points per contest. He’s proven that he can manage a national team pretty well, as players from all across Europe’s major leagues have been instructed by O’Neill.

O’Neill prefers to run of 4-1-4-1 formation, which would be perfect for Scott Brown in the middle of the park.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER 04: Scott Brown of Scotland and Bjorn Kristensen of Malta battle for the ball during the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier between Scotland and Malta at Hampden Park on September 4, 2017 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER 04: Scott Brown of Scotland and Bjorn Kristensen of Malta battle for the ball during the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier between Scotland and Malta at Hampden Park on September 4, 2017 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) /

There might be some difficulty when trying to bring in the 48-year-old however. O’Neill’s contract doesn’t expire until 2020, and it was reported that Northern Ireland offered him another deal for four more years. It would be surprising to see O’Neill leave a project that he’s developed since 2011.

Plus, BBC Sport suggest that recent developments surrounding O’Neill show that the boss might not be going anywhere any time soon.

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"Since the turn of the year, the reporting of this saga has veered one way and then the other. On 5 January, there were stories about the SFA closing in on O’Neill. On 6 January, O’Neill was supposedly ready to snub them. On 7 January, the SFA was said to be not abandoning hope. On 8 January, O’Neill was the bookies’ favourite to go to Stoke. On 10 January, the SFA said in a statement to fans that it was making progress on an appointment."

It’s a bit awkward for the SFA to say that they’re making progress on an appointment. Rumors around a new manager seem nothing more than that; just rumors. A while back, the Daily Record reported that Alex McLeish might step in for now, but he said that the side need to get their “act together” before he even considers the job.

Also, anything from that publication should be taken with a grain of salt, especially since they were the only source to report the rumor.

As mentioned before, Scotland have a good portion of time to figure things out. Qualifying for Qatar 2022 won’t start for a while, likely meaning that Malky Mackay will have to step in if need be.

But, the Scots obviously want somebody with the experience. O’Neill may be more than qualified for the position, but that chances of him leaving his side seem at the bare minimum right now.

Next: Celtic loan Nadir Ciftci to Motherwell

Will Scotland continue to try and bring in O’Neill before the World Cup starts this summer? Any other targets that could be easier to bring in instead? Let us know in the comments section below.