If things had worked out differently, Michael O’Neill could have been settling into life as Leicester City manager this week instead of shaping a sequel to the Northern Ireland fairytale.
The Premier League champions had O’Neill on their shortlist to replace Claudio Ranieri before giving the job to the Italian’s assistant Craig Shakespeare.
The interest was easy to understand. Like Ranieri, he has over-achieved with players punching well above their weight. He steered Northern Ireland to their first European Championship last summer and they now are on course for a first World Cup in 32 years.
Relaxing at the team’s training base outside Dublin before tomorrow’s World Cup qualifier against Norway at Windsor Park, O’Neill admits to being a ‘little surprised’ by the Leicester links.