‘Michael would inspire Scotland’
applicable to leading clubs. Asked about the interest in O’Neill, Evans said: ‘It’s difficult for players to comment on. ‘As a manager, he is unbelievable, we all love him and every single player plays for him. He’s such a good manager and it would be a shame to lose him. ‘But we know on the other side, that management is such a difficult job. If something came up where it would be difficult to turn down, no one would ever begrudge him that. ‘Can I understand why there is interest in him? Yes. He’s so inspirational and tactical. ‘Even the other night, we had just got off the plane and were on the bus on the way to the hotel. ‘He had watched the first half of the game and he came down the bus and he was like: “We’re calling a meeting tonight and we’re going to watch it because you didn’t play that bad, there are so many basic things you can improve on”. ‘It gave everyone a lift. He’s got such composure and his team talks, he says the right things to get the lads going. ‘You can see everyone plays for him and we respect him.’ Appointed in December 2011, O’Neill saw Northern Ireland dip to 129th in FIFA’s rankings early in his reign before beginning the extraordinary climb to success. Euro 2016 ended a 30-year wait for a major finals, with O’Neill’s side now ranked 23rd in the world. ‘We’ve spoken about when he first came in and it was difficult, but look at things now,’ added Evans. Former Hamilton goalkeeper Michael McGovern was equally effusive about O’Neill and believes he can enjoy further success by staying with Northern Ireland. ‘I think we can do one more campaign at least with this group of players and manager,’ said McGovern, now with Norwich City. ‘Michael’s stock is so high at the minute but I’m sure there will be interest elsewhere. ‘If he’s here for the next campaign, we will be delighted as players.’