Players' club successes can help NI careers - Davis

Northern Ireland players Dan Ballard and Trai Hume celebrate Sunderland's Championship play-off win which promoted them to the Premier League

Northern Ireland first team coach Steven Davis says recent successes enjoyed by members of Michael O'Neill's squad at club level should help their progress in the international game.

A number of players were part of crucial occasions for their teams in recent weeks ahead of Northern Ireland's forthcoming friendlies away to Denmark on 7 June and at home to Iceland on 10 June.

"You just have to look at some of the individual seasons the players have had, obviously Conor [Bradley] winning the Premier League [with Liverpool], Justin Devenny winning the FA Cup [with Crystal Palace] and Trai Hume and Dan Ballard being promoted to the Premier League with Sunderland," Davis told BBC Sport NI from the Irish FA's coach education course in Belfast.

"It's vital that the players continue to progress at their clubs and that's what they're doing, they just have to continue to develop.

"Ultimately they come in better placed into the international set-up if that's the case."

The 140-time capped international reflected there had been "a lot of progression within the group over the last 12 or 18 months" with a series of positive results and the team topping their Nations League group.

The upcoming friendly double-header will act as preparation for the start of World Cup qualifying in September.

"These games are vital because the time you get with the players is so limited in international football so whenever you do get together it's important you maximise that time, reinforce your ideas and add layers to them.

"The level of opposition in the two games will test us too.

"We're coming up against stiff opposition [in World Cup qualifying] in Germany, Slovakia and Luxembourg. It's a difficult group but these two games coming up are great preparation for us."

'Seeing a different side of O'Neill'

Davis (right) was NI captain under Michael O'Neill during his playing days

Davis says he is enjoying working as part of O'Neill's backroom team.

"He's demanding, which he should be and you have to be. He's very detailed. I thought that as a player too," he said.

"Obviously you get to see a little bit of a different side as part of the coaching staff and we spend a lot of time together analysing things.

"He's very open to our opinions as coaching staff, which is great for me. You can give your opinions and ultimately he makes the decisions."

The former Rangers midfielder is currently working towards his Uefa Pro Licence qualification and says he has ambitions of being a manager.

"You only get it [coaching ability] by getting experience, by being in and around it. That's the best learning curve you can get - real life situations and more time on the grass as well. That's how you develop.

"We'll see where it takes us. I do eventually have ambitions to be a manager but at this moment in time it's important I continue to learn."