Stoke interest in Martin O’Neill grows after Gary Rowett opts for Derby stay

Stoke City’s interest in Martin O’Neill is expected to gather momentum after their search for a manager narrowed following Gary Rowett’s decision to pledge his long-term future to Derby County.

It is understood Stoke have sought to make initial contact with O’Neill with a view to holding talks about the possibility of the Republic of Ireland manager making a return to club football, although they are continuing to weigh up the merits of other candidates.

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Stoke had placed O’Neill and Rowett near the top of their shortlist as soon as Mark Hughes was dismissed on Saturday night following the FA Cup defeat at Coventry City. Although Slaven Bilic has been installed as the bookmakers’ favourite, Stoke are not minded to make a move for the former West Ham United manager as they work their way through a long list of names.

Rowett’s impressive work at Derby, who are pushing for automatic promotion in the Championship, made him a leading contender for the vacancy but he is now out of the picture after signing an extended and improved contract with Derby that runs until 2021.

Although O’Neill reached a verbal agreement about a new two-year contract with the Republic in November, towards the end of their World Cup qualification campaign, he has yet to sign that deal. The 65-year-old has a proven track record in the Premier League and is highly respected by senior figures at Stoke.

With Stoke third from bottom in the Premier League and away at Manchester United on Monday, the club are keen to make an appointment as soon as possible and ideally before the end of the week. A short-term deal would be their preference so they can widen the net again in the summer, although nothing is set in stone.