Davis to discuss NI coaching future after friendlies

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Northern Ireland's most capped international Steven Davis says full-time coaching is something he is keen to explore "down the line" after retiring this year.

The former Rangers midfielder was forced to hang up his boots in January after he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in December 2022.

Davis assisted Michael O'Neill in preparation for Northern Ireland's March internationals, while also working towards his coaching badges.

The 39-year-old has again travelled with the squad for friendlies against Spain on Saturday and Andorra three days later, but says there have been no conversations yet with O'Neill about a continuing role.

"To be honest, we haven't really had any conversations long term," said the former Aston Villa and Southampton player.

"It was really good for me to go away in March and be around things and get that different viewpoint, which was ultimately a really good experience for me, especially aligned with doing the course.

"I'll be going away with the group in June for the two games and after that we'll sit down and have a conversation and see what he wants and how it looks."

For now, after almost two decades a professional player, Davis is embracing retirement as he waits for the right coaching opportunity.

"I'm enjoying myself at the minute since retiring, getting the opportunity to do some things I haven't always had the opportunity to do, spend some time with the family, do a bit of travelling and doing my badges," he added.

"[Full-time coaching], it's certainly something that down the line I would like to do.

"I have to wait and see what opportunities arise and when's the right time to take it."

Davis has enjoyed dipping his toe in the water with Northern Ireland and believes Saturday's game against Spain will be a "fantastic experience" for the squad's young players.

"It [coaching rather than playing] is certainly a different viewpoint, but it's an experience that I've been enjoying," he said.

"We've quite a young squad, so for them to get the opportunity to go and play against Spain away, with the quality they've got, you want to be testing yourself against the best players in the world and they definitely come into that category.

"It'll be a fantastic experience for them and one everyone is looking forward to."

The last of Davis' 140 international caps came against Greece in 2022

Davis' last game as a Northern Ireland player came in former manager Ian Baraclough's final game in charge, a 3-1 defeat by Greece in September 2022.

While the Englishman's successor, O'Neill, did not immediately see a great improvement in results, the side go into these friendlies unbeaten in three games after finishing their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign by beating Denmark, followed by a draw with Romania and win over Scotland in March friendlies.

"I think the big thing for me is progress and you can see that in the last six to 12 months," added Davis.

"The results didn't initially go the way we would have liked

"We finished the campaign on a high with that Denmark result and to follow that up with the Romania and Scotland games was really important."

"You can see the confidence coming from within the group, believing in what they do and that it'll get them the results," he added.

"It's a young group, there's loads of energy about it, a lot of things to be optimistic about. They just need to keep progressing and hopefully when the competitive games come around again they'll be in a good position."