Scotland ‘set the bar for the Irish’

MICHAEL O’Neill believes Scotland are “very much the bar” for his Northern Ireland side as he recounted the development of Steve Clarke’s squad.

O’Neill rejected the chance to become boss of the Scottish national side in 2018 but the former Hibernian and Dundee United midfielder, who lives in Scotland, kept an eye on emerging talent in dark blue.

Ahead of the friendly against Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday night, O’Neill talked around a question of him being linked with the vacant managerial post at Aberdeen but discussed the opposition who are going to the Euros this summer with more precision.

“I was always aware that Scotland was a team that was going to grow,” said O’Neill.

“They have had consistent form for a number of years. They are very much the bar for us.

“I saw a lot of these players play through the early phases of their careers. It is something I spoke to the players about.

“So the journey their players are on is hopefully the journey that a lot of our players will go on as well.

“We are asking a lot of the younger players at this moment in time but it will be a good game.”

O’Neill outlined the disparity in levels between his young squad and that of Scotland’s group, albeit Steve Clarke’s side are on a six-game winless run following their 4-0 friendly defeat by the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Friday night.

He said: “There is real consistency with the teams Steve picks and the way they play. Our biggest challenge is we don’t have the depth that Scotland have.

“If you look at the midfield, Steve could change three or four of those players and he could be bringing in, maybe not players as established, but players who are playing in Serie A or top Championship teams.

“We have everything to gain. We are a team very much in its infancy playing against a very established team.”

Sunderland’s Dan Ballard returns to the squad after the birth of his son but aside from that it will be the same players as Friday when Northern Ireland drew 1-1 with Romania in Bucharest, with Ross McCausland remaining out with a “complex” injury along with Newcastle United’s Jamal Lewis.