Michael O’Neill says he’s looking forward to watching his Northern Ireland team realise their potential in the next few years.
Although there is business to attend to this month, O’Neill is reflecting on positive strides forward in 2024.
With such a young squad, bumps on the road are inevitable and that trend will continue, however there are many reasons to be optimistic.
The 5-0 rout of Bulgaria in particular was an exciting glimpse into the future from this maturing squad brimming with potential.
O’Neill admitted to Sunday Life Sport that this is the most exciting group of young players he has ever worked with.
Isaac Price became the first Northern Ireland player to hit an international hat-trick since David Healy in 2007 but there were other stunning performances from the likes of Brodie Spencer, Conor Bradley, the Charles brothers Shea and Pierce and Callum Marshall.
With the starting team on the night boasting an average age of less than 23, no player in their 30s featured until Josh Magennis and Jamie Reid came off the bench in the closing stages.
And now Crystal Palace midfielder Justin Devenny is another young player given a golden chance to impress.
The 21-year-old made his Premier League debut for Palace against Fulham at the weekend.
Uncapped Brighton defender Ruairi McConville was also handed his first senior call-up. The 19-year-old centre-back is captain of Northern Ireland Under-19s and plays for his club’s Under-21 side.
Ross County striker Ronan Hale is still to come onboard once his international clearance comes through.
O’Neill’s rising stars sit top of Nations League Group C3 ahead of their final double-header of the year against Belarus on Friday and away to Luxembourg three days later.
Promotion to League B could also open a back door into the World Cup in 2026 but O’Neill is remaining focused on the development of this squad.
Michael O’Neill admits his young squad are progressing faster than he imagined
O’Neill’s side defeated Luxembourg 2-0 in Belfast in September, followed by a 1-0 loss in Bulgaria three days later.
In October, they drew 0-0 against Belarus in Hungary and then celebrated that stunning win over Bulgaria at Windsor Park.
As he looks back on the year, the former Stoke City boss reflects on a side moving in the right direction.
“It’s been a really good year,” he said. “If you look back to when we played Denmark here last November it was a good way to finish after a difficult campaign.
“We saw the end of a team and that was sad for a lot of those players. Either they didn’t get a chance to play in that campaign or their playing opportunities were very limited.
“We had to take a strategic decision to go with younger players and give them time, but they’ve probably progressed quicker than I envisaged they would.
“We had a difficult game in Spain obviously and a difficult game in Bulgaria when we were disappointed to lose.
“But they saw the highest level of the game against Spain, which was a real eye-opener.
“But equally they’ve had to come and beat teams which people would probably expect us to beat, so you have to deliver on that front.
“We’ve also won away in Scotland and drew in Romania. Beating Denmark in Belfast as a Pot 1 team was another positive as well.
“So there have been a lot of things to be pleased about but it is very early.”
O’Neill’s side put in a five-star performance to blow Bulgaria away in Belfast to put themselves top of the group.
Northern Ireland sit top of Nations League C Group 3 with seven points after two wins, one draw and one defeat from their four fixtures in the competition to date.
Belarus are second on six points, Bulgaria third with five and Luxembourg bottom with two.
O’Neill, who has Sunderland defender Dan Ballard back in his squad, is excited to see how this squad evolves in the coming years.
“If we look at this team in three years’ time and they stay together and continue to play international football a lot will only be 23 or 24,” said O’Neill.
“So they’ll still be a young group of players, but they’ll be a young group of players with a lot of international experience.
“I can’t tell people when is the right time to fully assess this team, I just know that we have to continue to progress.
“It will never be a continually upward curve, there will always be difficult international games and camps, but that’s part of it. They have to learn to deal with that as well.”
Without Paddy McNair and Eoin Toal, O’Neill is ready for a defensive reshuffle against Belarus.
“I think you have to be flexible,” he said.
“There are things we can look at, we could change to a back four.
“But if you look at us playing with a back three we use Trai, who’s a right-back really.
“You can get a little bit bogged down in the system.
“We’ve worked hard on one shape out of possession and a different shape when we’re in possession. It’s not just a case of taking one out and putting one in, it’s about bringing players in who understand what we’re trying to do.
“We’ve been very good without the ball over the past 12 months and we’ve seen a progression of us with the ball, particularly in the last game here.”