Club before country for Worthy

Ex-Canaries boss Nigel Worthington has ruled himself out of the running to become Northern Ireland manager, saying he wants to concentrate his efforts on club football.

The former Northern Ireland captain is in the running for the vacancy at Leicester, after steering the club to Championship survival in the last five games of the season.

However, Worthington faces strong competition for an extended stay at the Walkers Stadium and if he fails to convince Leicester owner Milan Mandaric of his credentials, then he will look for another club job.

“I've not applied for the Northern Ireland job in any way, shape or form,” said Worthington.

“Club management is my priority. At some stage, I would love to manage Northern Ireland because to work for your country is always a source of great pride.

“At this moment in time, number one would be to get back into club management and if at any stage I could help Northern Ireland then I'd always be willing to do so.”

Worthington's hopes of landing the Leicester job appear to be slim, with MK Dons' boss Martin Allen now favourite to be confirmed as new manager by the weekend.

Officially, Mandaric has a short-list that also includes Neil Warnock, but reports in the Midlands suggest he is impatient to bring in a new manager - and that had he wanted the out-of-work Warnock, the vacancy would have been filled by now.

Mandaric has been given permission to speak to the 41-year-old Allen, whose MK Dons side just missed out in the League Two promotion play-offs at the weekend.

“I have been trying to narrow down the list of names and I have asked MK Dons if I can talk to Martin Allen,” he confirmed. “He has impressed me with his attitude to the game and he shows great enthusiasm all the time. It is the sort of passion that I feel has been missing from this club for a long time, and I want to try to restore it to the team and to the fans.

“He seems a good young manager and I want someone who is going to be a long-term asset to the club.”