Josh Magennis admits retirement fears put to bed after call with Michael O'Neill

Yahoo

2 days ago

An honest conversation with Michael O'Neill saw Josh Magennis put to bed any thoughts of quitting international football.
The 34-year-old was left contemplating his future after he was left out of the Northern Ireland squad for the friendlies against Switzerland and Sweden back in March as O'Neill assessed his other forward options.
Magennis felt he needed to ask the boss if he still featured in his plans moving forward and he was pleased with the response he got back from O'Neill.
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"That's what I wanted to speak to Michael about the most," said the Exeter City forward. "I was like, 'if we're going to get to the stage where you don't feel I can perform or I can contribute to your team, not a problem. That's no problem at all'.
"But I didn't want to get to the stage where we were sugarcoating it. I said, if you want me to retire or you think that I should retire, just let me know so I can do it the right way.
"I don't want to just fizzle out. I thought that if I was going to retire, I deserved to go out on my terms. Like all the other greats, Garth McAuley, Steven Davis, Johnny Evans.
"But Michael made it very clear that retirement, in terms of me, wasn't the case. I think I'm the only striker he has of my profile. He doesn't have anyone else. He just made it aware that he needed to see other players. I have to take his word for it."
Magennis is currently recovering from hip surgery, but he is targeting an international return for the start of the World Cup qualifiers in September but he admitted though that will only happen if he is producing on the pitch.
"The only way I'm going to get back into that squad, like I have done with all the other squads, is to keep performing," said Magennis.
"Michael's always been open and honest with me, and I've definitely been that way with him. When we had the conversation, we were both able to say our part.
"Michael's the manager and his rationale and his thought process, as much as I didn't agree with it, it took me a couple of days to come round, I could understand it because eventually I'm going to hopefully, God willing, be a manager, be a coach.
"It's a coach's job to always improve and always to make the team better. If Michael thought that by seeing other players playing friendlies before we went into the World Cup, because the World Cup is what really matters, then he's every right to do so.
"So I sort of had to reframe my thought process in terms of getting away from the victim mentality. I never wanted that to happen. Football is an ever-evolving game.
"It doesn't wait around for anyone. So my thought process quickly went from feeling that I should be in the squad to why am I not in the squad to, well, you've just got to get back to work. The only way to continue to be in Northern Ireland's squad is to put in performances that no one can refute.
"So I've just got to keep catching his eye and keep performing until hopefully September, October, November for the World Cup qualifiers and get back in."