Michael O'Neill in coy Aberdeen FC response as Northern Ireland boss plays Pittodrie riddles

Michael O'Neill has remained coy on rumours linking him with the Aberdeen job - insisting his focus is still on Northern Ireland.

The former Stoke City boss led his country to a first win against Scotland since 1967, with Connor Bradley's deflected strike enough to claim a 1-0 win against Steve Clarke's side at Hampden. O'Neill has been heavily linked with the vacancy at Pittodrie, with Dons chairman Dave Cormack looking for a permanent appointment in the wake of interim manager Neil Warnock's shock exit earlier this month. The 54-year-old is contracted to the IFA until the summer of 2028, and a large compensation fee could be required to prize him away from his second spell in charge of the national team.

The Aberdeen hierarchy have recently brought in German recruitment agency BPTC to help find their next manager, with chief executive Alan Burrows revealing that the club were hoping to make an appointment before next Saturday's home fixture against Ross County.

Seven wins from their first 30 Premiership matches have left the Dons eight points adrift of the top six and just three points ahead of next weekend's opponents in the relegation play-off zone.

One potential silver lining for Aberdeen fans could be in the Scottish Cup, with the managerless side taking on Celtic in the semi-finals on April 20. Asked by the media if he would be returning to the national stadium next month as the new man in the Pittodrie dugout, O'Neill continued to keep his cards close to his chest.

He said: "Will I be be back here? No I don't intend to. The speculation is created by you guys and I am not even thinking about it at this moment in time. I might come and watch the game but that will probably be it."