Steven Davis deserves to have at least one final hurrah with Northern Ireland according to manager Michael O’Neill who wants his captain to finish his career on the pitch rather than off it.
O’Neill was commenting after Davis spoke to Rangers TV this week about his serious knee injury sustained 11 months ago, admitting, as he continued his rehabilitation, that he did not know if he would play again.
Earlier this week another big Green and White Army favourite Kyle Lafferty was at the team hotel in Northern Ireland to reunite with old team-mates with O’Neill saying it was sad to see the striker on crutches after being injured playing for Scottish outfit Johnstone Burgh.
While Lafferty aims to return for his new club his international career is over. He didn’t receive a big send-off and O’Neill hopes 140 cap hero Davis doesn’t end up in the same boat.
“I knew obviously when Steven had setbacks with his knee and how he felt about that and how his family situation has changed from when he had the injury so there are a lot of moving parts in the situation which I don’t think has made making decisions very easy for him,” said O’Neill.
“The last time we spoke he seemed focused on trying to get his knee in the best place possible and then he will have a decision to make in terms of what his playing options are.
“Kyle (Lafferty) was in the hotel on Wednesday. He’s had a knee operation and is in a brace. It was quite sad to see him there on crutches because you want your international career to end with some sort of high.
“It’s nice to go out with something to remember and certainly Steven Davis deserves that.
“Any player who has won over 100 caps deserves that opportunity to be on the pitch if it is one last night or whatever it may be. Hopefully Steven can get himself to a point where he has the opportunity to do that.
“It would be really sad if such a great career ended with an injury that happened on the training ground. I know he is very focused to make sure that is not the case.”
