Michael O'Neill: What's on NI manager's 'to-do' list as he returns for second spell?
It's almost three weeks since Michael O'Neill strode purposefully, and very happily, back through the door at Windsor Park.
The man who made history during his first spell as Northern Ireland manager by leading them to the Euro 2016 finals has returned - by very popular demand - for a second spell in charge of his country.
You could barely wipe the smile off the 53-year-old's face as he carried out his wide-ranging media duties. No question was shirked and no topic dismissed across over two hours of group briefings and one-to-one interviews as O'Neill looked ahead to what he hopes to achieve over the course of his second tenure.
And while the length of his contract - five and a half years - may have surprised some, it was clear that the 'building for the future' narrative regularly pedalled by predecessor Ian Baraclough has moved down the agenda.
Taking advantage of a fortuitously favourable draw for Euro 2024 qualifying, a group that includes Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Kazakhstan and San Marino, is very much O'Neill's immediate aim. And he was comfortable in asserting that it can be done.
Yes, there is the prospect of Northern Ireland being one of the host countries for Euro 2028. And, yes, O'Neill was beaming with pride at the prospect of being the manager at the helm for that, but that, and the development of young players for it, seems very much like phase two of his return.
Phase one of reign two, however, will be focused on successfully navigating the upcoming qualifying campaign, another one condensed between March and November, and getting to the finals in Germany.
With that in mind, BBC Sport takes a look at some of the things that might be on the former Shamrock Rovers manager's 'to-do' list as he aims to achieve that goal.
Deal with loss of inspirational captain Davis
That smile O'Neill was wearing at his unveiling will most definitely have gone when it was confirmed by Rangers on Christmas Eve that Northern Ireland's inspirational captain Steven Davis will miss the rest of this season with a serious knee injury.
Without speculating on whether Davis, who will turn 38 on 1 January, will ever return to playing, it looks certain that O'Neill will be without him for the opening four Euro 2024 qualifiers - San Marino away, Finland at home, Denmark away and Kazakhstan at home - at least.
As it did for all Northern Ireland supporters, the news will have come as a devastating blow to O'Neill. He revealed on day one of the job that day two would see a trip to Glasgow to meet with the Rangers veteran to discuss his international future - and it clearly went well, with Davis having since indicated his intention to continue playing for his country.
However, the new manager will now have to choose a new captain and the likelihood is that Jonny Evans will wear the armband.
O'Neill will also have to decide on who is best placed to anchor what was nearly always a three-man midfield during his first spell. There are a few experienced options - Stuart Dallas, Paddy McNair, Corry Evans and Jordan Thompson among them - while O'Neill might think Ali McCann or exciting young Man City prospect Shea Charles are ready to take on a more pivotal role in the engine room.
O'Neill had a core group of senior players during his first spell that he seemed to form close relationships with, allowing him to not only squeeze every ounce of performance from them but be comfortable enough to give them the responsibility to ensure the rest of the squad were fully on board with everything he wanted to do.
It's a symbiotic relationship that you never felt Baraclough was able to form with the likes of Davis, Jonny Evans and Stuart Dallas - certainly not to the same extent at least - as the focus shifted towards flooding the squad with younger, emerging talent.
O'Neill has clearly not lessened his view on how much of an asset the senior players can be, revealing that conversations he had with them were a key factor in his decision to return.
He will no doubt not take long to get reacquainted with the players he has managed before, but he will also have to form new and productive relationships with the youngsters who established themselves in the squad under Baraclough, such as Dan Ballard, McCann and Charles.
The personnel will, of course, feed into the style of play that O'Neill decides to go with but, while he did at times opt for a back three before, the 3-5-2 that became the go-to formation for his predecessor was not a system he often deployed.
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