‘Breath of fresh air’ Lindsay backed for NI job

“It’s a question for him, but would we love to have him? Yes.”

He may have only had a handful of training sessions with Northern Ireland, but interim boss Kris Lindsay has already left a big impression on his players according to long-serving midfielder Nadene Caldwell.

Lindsay will lead NI in their opening two 2027 World Cup qualifiers away to Switzerland on Tuesday, 3 March and at home to Turkey on Saturday, 7 March.

What happens beyond that for Lindsay, who also manages the Northern Ireland men’s under-16 team, remains to be seen, but early indications from Caldwell suggest the players are fully behind Tanya Oxtoby’s short-term replacement.

“Kris has come in for these two games and has been a breath of fresh air,” she told BBC Sport NI’s Nicola McCarthy.

“He’s had home-based sessions for the players and you can see his enthusiasm already and hopefully that will come across on the pitch. He wants every individual player to be 1% better and that’s all we can ask.

“Kris has been very open, honest and transparent with the players, he’s fully in. He’s laid out what he wants and the players what they want, so we’re on the same page.

Glentoran’s Caldwell appreciates that “from the outside it seems transitional” with Northern Ireland still yet to find a permanent successor to Oxtoby, who left to join Newcastle in November.

The squad is also oscillating between an experienced core and an influx of younger players, but Caldwell insists they are merely focused on the task at hand and not the public perception of the squad.

“It is going to happen in football [transitions], but we’re professional players and we’ll take a professional approach on the pitch when we have a job to do,” she explained.

The 35-year-old, who has won 91 caps for her country, believes the permanent appointment of Lindsay would only serve to aid NI’s ability to navigate a transitional period given his previous role of working with young players.

“He’s a great person, manger and coach and these three things can only bring us success.

“With the transition of players coming though, he would be an amazing asset.