Michael O’Neill rejects Sunderland job as Northern Ireland boss considers Scotland

SUNDERLAND have been turned down by Michael O’Neill.

The Northern Ireland boss, also a target for the Scottish FA, was offered the chance to take over from Simon Grayson.

Sunderland, currently bottom of the Championship, could still make a second attempt to land their top target.

Despite being approached by Scotland, O’Neill is also being offered a new deal by Northern Ireland as he currently earns £500,000-a-year.

Scotland are willing to pay £1m – but O’Neill is keen to get into club management.

However he has already been warned by a number of close friends and current bosses that taking over Sunderland – who were relegated from the Premier League last term – is an impossible job.

O’Neill lives in Edinburgh and is likely to be tempted by Scotland.

He has told Northern Ireland bosses he wants to talk to the SFA about becoming Scotland manager.

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SFA chief Stewart Regan made an official move to land the 48-year-old yesterday — as Sunderland weighed up their swoop.

The IFA have yet to grant permission for either party to open talks with O’Neill and want him to stay at Windsor Park.

SunSport understands former Shamrock Rovers boss O’Neill is keen to discuss the chance to succeed Gordon Strachan.

Edinburgh-based O’Neill is under contract until 2020, but Northern Ireland’s World Cup playoff defeat to Switzerland last Sunday has left him pondering his future.

The SFA would have to pay a small compensation fee to get O’Neill, but NOT the £750,000 contract clause which Premier League clubs would have to fork out.

O’Neill’s stock has risen since taking Northern Ireland to Euro 2016, their first major tournament for 30 years.