Blackburn Rovers ready to ditch Gary Rowett & appoint international manager | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers' search for a new manager has taken a fresh twist, and now they may have identified Valerien Ismael's successor.

Blackburn Rovers are poised to move away from Gary Rowett in the coming days as talks stall over the currenty vacancy at Ewood Park.

It's been over a week since Valerien Ismael parted ways with the Lancashire outfit, and despite Leicester City's dramatic defeat to Southampton on Tuesday evening, Rovers remain in the bottom three of the Championship.

It emerged earlier this week that Northern Ireland head coach Michael O'Neill had made his way onto the shortlist in BB2, and with the situation surrounding Rowett now uncertain, the decision has been made by those at the top to move onto the 56-year-old.

However, with the former Shamrock Rovers boss still in his post with his national team, Blackburn are making arrangements that could possibly see his workload split if he does take charge of the Championship strugglers.

Blackburn Rovers plot Michael O'Neill talks after Gary Rowett issue

According to Alan Nixon, Rovers' talks with Rowett have reached a dead end, with no agreement found between the two parties, and they are now turning their attention to O'Neill.

However, he is still in charge of Northern Ireland, and therefore the club are exploring the idea of allowing the former Stoke City manager to job share with the Green and White Army as they prepare for World Cup qualifiers in March against Italy.

If O'Neill accepts the position at Blackburn, it would be on a part-time basis and would see him work alongside current interim head coach Damien Johnson, with the two having a close friendship.

However, a decision would then need to be made by the 56-year-old whether he signs a long-term deal with Rovers, or whether he returns to his national team post full-time once the season comes to an end.

Michael O'Neill has worked in the Championship and internationally simultaneously before

If O'Neill does agree to become the new head coach of Blackburn, while maintaining his role at Northern Ireland, he would not find himself in unfamiliar territory.

Soccer Football - Championship - Stoke City v Wigan Athletic - bet365 Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent, Britain - November 23, 2019 Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill applauds fans after the match Action Images/Craig Brough EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/play

The Portadown-born manager took charge of Stoke in November 2019, while the Potters were rooted to the bottom of the Championship, and oversaw their rise back up the league table as they avoided relegation and maintained mid-table obscurity for the next few years.

At the same time, he remained in his position with Northern Ireland, and was free to manage any potential Euro 2020 play-off games. However, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, those games were postponed and ultimately he resigned in April 2020.