Michael O'Neill vows to restore pride in playing for Northern Ireland

Newly-appointed Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill has vowed to restore the pride and belief in playing for the national side.

O'Neill, who succeeds Nigel Worthington, left his post at Shamrock Rovers and made the move into international management.

The 42-year-old claimed that the international scene needs refreshing and has also aimed to stop youngsters switching allegiances to Republic of Ireland.

"Northern Ireland has a strong football tradition but one that needs to be refreshed with some more contemporary success," O'Neill said.

"That is my primary objective – to restore a sense of belief and pride in what it means to represent Northern Ireland so that our players will want only to play for their country.

"That is how it should be. There is a huge amount of work to be done but, with the right direction and the necessary passion, good progress can be made."

O'Neill won back-to-back League of Ireland championships and became the first to guide an Irish side into the group phase of European competition.