Taking Irish to Euros as big as title for Foxes

STEPHEN ROBINSON is not surprised the SFA want Michael O’Neill – as his achievement in taking Northern Ireland to Euro 2016 was as big as Leicester winning the Premier League.

The Motherwell boss was assistant to O’Neill as the Irish upset the odds by reaching the showpiece in France.

And Robinson said: “That achievement of going to the Euros was massive. It was as big as Leicester winning the Premier League and I was proud to play a small part in that. Obviously Michael was the figurehead of it.

“Anything is possible in football if you really believe and have a camaraderie and spirit.

“Michael’s man management is special, he manages people very well. We have a mixture of people, from the Premier League to League Two.

“But everyone is treated the same and his professionalism has seen Northern Ireland on a par with some Premier League teams in terms of how we prepare and travel.

“He is meticulous and that success is well deserved. If I was appointing a manager at international level he would be the very first name on my list due to what he has done with our group of players.”

Reports have suggested that the USA are interested in recruiting O’Neill, while he could be tempted by vacancies at club level. Northern Ireland are also pulling out all of the stops to keep him.

Robinson added: “The choice is – does Michael stay in that lifestyle that he has built and earned the right to, or does he take a full throttle club job? That is a choice for him to make and I can’t answer for him. But I’m a Northern Ireland fan so I hope he stays!

“We know how important he has been for us.”