'Really good candidates' for NI captaincy - Davis

Former Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis says there are "some really good candidates" within the current squad to take on the captaincy role on a permanent basis.

Since Jonny Evans retired from international football in August 2024, NI boss Michael O'Neill has opted to rotate the captaincy.

The likes of Conor Bradley, Paddy McNair, Shea Charles and Trai Hume have all worn the armband and Davis, who captained NI 82 times, believes whoever is appointed will be deserving of the opportunity.

"There are some really good candidates, Michael has spread the captaincy over the course of the games and he'll make that final decision, but we have some really good characters," Davis said.

"There are some who are playing at a really good level and progressing their careers and there's a really good core of young players there for the next 10 years so I'm excited to see where they can go."

Davis was speaking after being inducted into the Dr Malcolm Brodie Hall of Fame at the Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association awards.

He retired in January 2024 after being sidelined for over a year with a knee injury and holds the UK men's international caps record with 140 appearances for Northern Ireland.

The former midfielder previously took charge of Rangers as interim manager when Michael Beale was sacked in October 2023.

Since retiring he has been assisting O'Neill in preparation for Northern Ireland's games as he works towards his coaching badges, a role he has been relishing.

"I got the opportunity out of the blue at Rangers for a couple of games as interim manager which was an unbelievable experience but now, I'm with Michael and his staff, I'm learning a lot when I'm away on camps," he explained.

"It's really good and I'm doing my coaching badges so looking forward to see what the future holds.

"I've got a good balance now with the international stuff but time with my family too which you miss out on a lot when you're playing football, to have flexibility is really good."

Former Northern Ireland winger Stuart Dallas, who won 62 caps for his country, was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday alongside Davis.

He believes that O'Neill is "building something special" with the current crop of players ahead of the World Cup qualifying campaign starting in September, where NI will face Germany, Slovakia and Luxembourg.

"This is a completely new team, Michael has come back in for a second spell and he's lost a lot of experience," he said.

"What they're doing now, they're an exciting team you come to Windsor Park, and you enjoy watching Northern Ireland, I think the more games they play the more experience they'll get."

While Dallas, who was forced to retire in April 2024 because of a serious knee injury, is excited about the young squad, he thinks expectations should be tempered as many players navigate their first World Cup qualifying experience.

"I think the team is in good hands, it is a young exciting team who have the potential to fulfil something really special, but you can't put too much pressure on them."