Image source, GettyImage caption, Isaac Price (right) is pleased Michael O'Neill is remaining as NI manager
ByRichard PetrieBBC Sport NI Journalist- Published58 minutes ago
Northern Ireland midfielder Isaac Price says the players in the squad are "buzzing" following the news that Michael O'Neill has agreed an extension to his contract to remain manager of the international team until 2032.
The NI boss rejected overtures from Championship side Blackburn Rovers to manage the club on a permanent basis after guiding the Lancashire outfit to safety while combining that interim role with being at the helm with Northern Ireland.
O'Neill will lead his team into the forthcoming friendlies against Guinea on Thursday and France on Monday, 8 June, as the squad prepare for the start of a Nations League campaign in September.
Price credits O'Neill as being a major influence on his career to date, the NI manager having drafted the now 22-year-old into his senior squad for the first time when he was still a teenager in 2023.
"He went to Blackburn and did a job for them there. We were a little bit nervous that maybe he might have took a club role on full-time but I think everyone's buzzing," said Price after joining up with the squad for the upcoming friendly double-header.
"We all love playing for him and especially for me he's probably been the main manager that I've had since I started playing first-team football.
"He trusted me, he threw me in when I wasn't playing any real senior games at club level.
"He's got a good group of players here. They're all young and I think he's probably excited to keep working with us."
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'Excited' about facing France
The West Brom player also helped his side avoid the drop to League One, having come up against O'Neill's side as both sides battled relegation.
"It's obviously a bit weird. You go from him being your international team manager to obviously playing against him, with us both in difficult positions," explained Price.
"But Michael showed how good a manager he is, he managed to keep them safe and did a great job for them for six months."
Price says the group are now fully focused on the friendly encounters against Guinea and France, with the latter match pitting Northern Ireland against one of the favourites to win the World Cup.
"We can't wait to play the two games. The France one speaks for itself. We're playing against the best players in the world on a big stage.
"They're going to be at home, just before the World Cup, and they'll be going there to try and win it. All the lads are really excited."
