Michael O’Neill to tempt Republic of Ireland youth international towards Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill will try and persuade Huddersfield Town midfielder Sean Scannell to switch allegiances from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland.

London-born Scannell played underage football for Ireland from U17 through to U21 level but was never capped by the senior international side. The 27-year-old has yet to play for David Wagner's side in the Premier League this season but did make an appearance for The Terriers during their FA Cup fourth round win over Birmingham City earlier this month. Scannell's agent Eric Waters told the Sunday Times that there was some genuine interest from Northern Ireland and that his client was looking forward to speaking with Michael O'Neill. "There is genuine interest but nothing has been confirmed as yet about Sean playing for Northern Ireland," said Waters. "I'm sure that Sean will look forward to having a conversation (with Michael O'Neill) when the time is right."