Martin O’Neill has been out of management since being sacked by Nottingham Forest in June 2019, but is reportedly close to a return to the dugout with Rapid Bucharest.
Former Nottingham Forest manager Martin O’Neill is supposedly on the verge of making a surprise return to managing at the age of 72.
The Northern Irishman is thought to be on the verge of becoming Rapid Bucharest’s new head coach, bringing an end to his five-year absence from management. O’Neill, who has held several high-profile positions during his illustrious coaching career, has not returned to the dugout since being let go by Forest, a club he adores. However, his absence from the sport has not discouraged international interest in his services.
According to reports from Europe, headlined by Fanatik, O’Neill was expected to retire from management before the opportunity with Bucharest surfaced. There are reports that the experienced manager, who has previously commanded the Republic of Ireland national team and Aston Villa, could be in place by the end of the day.
With only a few games remaining in the Romanian Liga 1 season, O’Neill would have to strike the ground running. Rapid Bucharest finished second in the league but lost seven of their eight playoff games, according to the Mirror.
O’Neill, who recently took over the League Managers Association, won two European Cups with Nottingham Forest but was fired after only six months in command.
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, he admitted that he regretted taking the job, implying that it would likely be his final stint in professional football.
“When I left Forest, I had no idea that would be my final job in management. I had turned it down several times before and felt compelled to accept it when it was offered again. I took it far too personally, and I was angry about it. I took things too seriously.
“Instead of going into management, I’ve never been much of a networker, and I’ve never been a part of an agency where someone goes out seeking for work for me. People will naturally begin to notice your age.
“In an industry where I’ve witnessed changes, the owners and CEOs want to run the show. I managed football clubs. I was not a head coach, which is what people are searching for right now. To a considerable extent, they can tell the head coach who should and shouldn’t come in.
“Do I regret going to the forest? Yes, absolutely. If I had known we would win the last three games of the season and I would be called in a week into pre-season training to be told the way I was operating the football club was not the way they wanted it to be run, as they put it, I would not have accepted the job in the first place.”
