O'Neill: I will never pick players to tie them to Northern Ireland
Michael O'Neill says he will never pick a player for Northern Ireland simply to stop another country picking him.
The Northern Ireland manager said FIFA eligibility rules play no part in his squad decisions. He will not call up a youngster to tie him to Northern Ireland before another association shows interest, and he has never sent a player onto the pitch for that reason, BBC Sport reported.
The message was blunt. Pick the player because he deserves it, not because of his passport.
The comments came as O'Neill named a 28-man squad for a busy Nations League window. The Nations League is UEFA's group competition played between major tournaments, and Northern Ireland face four games in quick succession. That run starts away to Georgia on 25 September.
Teenager Ceadach O'Neill is in the squad. He won his first two senior caps, meaning first-team appearances, in June friendlies against Guinea and France. He has since been subject to an approach from the Republic of Ireland.
O'Neill is one of four teenagers in the group. The others are Tom Atcheson, Braiden Graham and Kieran Morrison. Atcheson and Morrison were both born in England and qualify for Northern Ireland through grandparents.
Eligibility is a live issue for Northern Ireland. Any player born in Northern Ireland is also eligible to play for the Republic of Ireland, BBC Sport reported. A senior competitive appearance can also lock, or cap-tie, a dual-qualified player to one nation under FIFA rules, which decide who can play for whom.
O'Neill described those rules as "not particularly fair" and said what upsets him most is the pressure put on young players, BBC Sport reported. Teenagers can find themselves pulled between two associations, families and supporters while still trying to establish themselves at club level.
For fans, this means clarity on where O'Neill stands. He wants players who want to be there. If a young player chooses Northern Ireland, it will be for football reasons, not because he was rushed onto the pitch to close a door.
