Northern Ireland: Nadine Caldwell backs ‘breath of fresh air’ Chris Lindsay for permanent job in NI

“It’s a question for him, but would we like him to be with us? Yes.”

He may have only had a handful of coaching sessions with Northern Ireland, but interim coach Chris Lindsay has already made a big impression on his players according to midfielder Nadine Caldwell.

Lindsay will captain NI in their first two 2027 World Cup qualifiers away to Switzerland on Tuesday 3 March and at home to Türkiye on Saturday 7 March.

What happens next for Lindsay, who also manages the Northern Ireland Under-16 men’s side, remains to be seen, but early indications from Caldwell are that the players are fully behind Tanya Oxtoby’s short-term replacement.

“Chris has been involved in both those games and has been a breath of fresh air,” she told BBC Sport NI’s Nicola McCarthy.

“He has done home training for the players and you can already see his enthusiasm and we hope it shows on the pitch. He wants every player to be 1% better and that’s all we can ask for.”

Chris has been very open, honest and transparent with the players and is fully involved. He’s defined what he wants and the players have what they want, so we’re on the same page.

“I’m sure he’d like to go on and take the job, it’s something he’s involved in and he’ll want to continue.”