Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has not closed the door on the prospect of taking charge at Aberdeen.
O’Neill was linked with the vacant managerial position at Pittodrie two weeks ago but insisted his focus was on the national team.
However, in an interview ahead of Northern Ireland’s trip to Hampden to face Scotland in Tuesday’s international friendly, O’Neill says he would assess any offer of a potential return to club football.
The 54-year-old, who is in his second spell in charge of Northern Ireland after a three year stint at Stoke City, said: “It is not something I would ever rule out.
“As I say, do the job you’re in and if another opportunity is presented to you, you assess it and you think, I would do that, it’s the right time or it’s not the right time.
“You have to be respectful to your existing employers and I always would be.
“Me going to Stoke was financially good for the IFA, they benefited out of that quite a bit.
“They were well compensated, which isn’t normal in international football.”
‘I never see the game as a fan, I am in it’
Former Dundee United and Hibernian winger O’Neill, who had a spell on loan with the Dons from Coventry City in 1998, cut his managerial teeth with Brechin City and Shamrock Rovers prior to making the move into international football in 2011.
O’Neill still harbours ambitions of working abroad one day but has hinted if he does return to club football the structure behind the scenes needs to be right.
The Irishman highlighted the challenges he faced at Stoke City and stated his belief football knowledge within the boardroom is vital.
He told the Scotland on Sunday: “I would still like to work abroad at some point.
“I have an interest in other roles in the game. I don’t necessarily know whether my next role would necessarily have to be as a manager.
“It could be a different kind of role. At Stoke, a mountain of work had to be done off the pitch as well as on it.
“Everyone likes to see a football club run well and efficiently and that’s a challenge for owners.
“I do think at a lot of football clubs there is a lack of football knowledge in the boardroom, I genuinely do.
“I never see the game as a fan, I am in it. There are a lot of people in football who see the game as a fan.
“Sometimes people who put their money into a football club need protection from themselves and I mean that with the best intentions.
“The hardest thing in football is to have patience because supporters don’t have patience.
“The reality of the situation is that churn never works. Don’t lose good people out of your organisation.”
Rijeka boss dismisses links with the Dons
DOBRO RADI: Hoće li naš Željko Sopić krenuti stopama legendarnog Škota Alexa Fergusona? – https://t.co/w9f5i9RtLU pic.twitter.com/b6nQByTWyv
— TeleskopHR (@TeleskopHR) March 23, 2024
Meanwhile, Rijeka manager Zeljko Sopic has distanced himself from links with a move to Pittodrie.
The 49-year-old, who has Rijeka to the top of the Croatian league after saving Gorica from relegation in his previous job, has been linked with the Dons.
But it seems he has no interest in swapping Croatia for Scotland.
Sopic, who is bald, joked: It’s constantly raining there, and that’s not good for my hairstyle at all.”
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