Staying at Hibs is best for Ryan McGivern, says Northern Ireland boss

The Northern Ireland international has been an instant success at Easter Road since making a loan move from Manchester City. The Evening News understands that  McGivern, 23, is on the verge of finalising a deal to stay at Hibs for the rest of the campaign.

McGivern has been a regular in O’Neill’s Northern Ireland squad and the former Hibs midfielder is delighted to see him playing on a consistent basis in a competitive environment.

“I just want to see him playing regularly,” said O’Neill. “There’s no substitute for players getting game time and if Ryan’s getting that, there’s no reason for him to necessarily want to change that.

“Of course, his agents and representative might have other ideas about what is best, but the main thing for me is that he’s currently playing regularly at a very good club. I don’t think going back to Manchester City just now is going to be the right thing for him. If he’s happy and enjoying his football, which I know he is, there’s no harm in things continuing the way things are.

“Niall McGinn is a good example of what happens when you’re playing regularly. He didn’t play at Celtic and had a bit of an up-and-down loan spell at Brentford, but he’s gone to Aberdeen and his confidence is high.”