Blackburn Rovers facing worrying Michael O’Neill delay as manager saga rumbles on | OneFootball

Michael O'Neill is yet to decide whether he wants to take charge of Blackburn Rovers next term

Michael O'Neill has successfully helped Blackburn Rovers retain their Championship status, but the Lancashire club are facing a nervous wait over his permanent future.

Blackburn beat Sheffield United 3-1 last time out, on Wednesday, thanks to Yuki Ohashi's brace and Ryoya Morishita's goal.

O'Neill's men host already relegated Leicester City on the final day of the campaign next Saturday, and will hope to end an otherwise challenging season on a positive note.

Rovers could climb from 20th to 18th if they beat Leicester, and both Portsmouth and Charlton Athletic drop points next weekend, in what would be another small high note to end the season.

Blackburn Rovers learn of Michael O'Neill delay as permanent appointment yet to be made

When Blackburn sacked former boss Valerien Ismael following a run of eight league games without a win, they were in the relegation zone.

O'Neill impressively put their relegation fears to bed, though, as Wednesday's triumph over Sheffield United ensured that the Lancashire outfit won't be making an unwanted League One return.

The 56-year-old previously led Rovers to wins over Millwall and Birmingham City, while recent draws against West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City, and Coventry City also helped guide them away from the drop zone.

O'Neill's Blackburn appointment in February was a unique event, given that he is also Northern Ireland boss and recently oversaw their ultimately unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign.

Journalist Alan Nixon has now revealed via Patreon that the former Stoke boss will take a week after the end of the season to decide on his Rovers future.

Nixon's report adds that O'Neill has a three-year deal on the table to stay at Ewood Park, but he intends to give himself an extra seven days at least to assess his options.

The 56-year-old wants to know what his budget at Blackburn will be and if the Venky's will provide him with funds, and could also wait to see if there are alternative job offers on the table.

Blackburn Rovers must secure Michael O'Neill's permanent future

Rovers have endured turbulent times in recent years under the Venky's ownership, which has been highlighted once again by this season's Championship relegation battle.

The Ewood Park outfit also narrowly avoided the drop in 2024 and returned to battling against relegation this term, even though they finished just two points adrift of the play-offs last season.

Meanwhile, Blackburn's solid form under O'Neill suggests that he can steer them well clear of trouble next campaign, and to a significantly more comfortable league finish.

Therefore, Rovers must do all they can to keep the former Stoke boss, including giving him the sort of budget he wants ahead of the summer transfer window.

Discussing his managerial future with BBC Sport, O'Neill said: "You can't do both (the Northern Ireland and Blackburn jobs), there's no way you could do both, because I was only able to do the two things because the (World Cup qualifying play-off) game was in March, there's no way you could do it when the games are in September, October, November, it's not possible."

Those comments prove that, if the 56-year-old is happy with the terms he is offered by Blackburn, he will stay with the Lancashire outfit and wave goodbye to his international duties.

The former Premier League title winners must retain O'Neill, as he has proven he is capable of guiding them to a brighter future if he is offered satisfactory terms.