Norwich City have recently been linked with Michael O'Neill as a potential appointment for their vacant manager's position.

It's been reported that the club have spoke to O'Neill about the job as they hope to challenge for promotion to the top flight next season.

Norwich were among the promotion contenders early on in the season but couldn't keep up with the pack and fell away, resigning them to mid-table.

The Canaries have failed to compete for a play-off place in the last few months of the season which has resulted in a disappointing outcome from the 2016/17 campaign.

The poor season saw Alex Neil lose his job as Norwich boss, despite guiding the Norfolk side to the Premier League in 2015.

Alan Irvine is in temporary charge at Carrow Road and has done alright in his time in the dugout, overseeing a 2-0 win over already-promoted Brighton and a 7-1 hammering of top six side Reading.

Michael O'Neill is a contender for the Norwich job, here are TWO pros and TWO cons to the Northern Irishman being appointed...

 

Pro - His work with Northern Ireland

Michael O'Neill and his Northern Ireland side have impressed in the last year or so, and particularly impressed in the Euros last summer.

Northern Ireland were amongst the underdogs going into Euro 2016, but progressed to the last 16 where they were defeated by fellow home nation Wales.

Northern Ireland didn't have the strongest squad at Euro 2016, but they managed to get results when it mattered to stay in the competition a little while longer.

O'Neill got the best out of his squad in the Euros and in the qualifying campaign, which led to his side surpassing everyone's expectations of them. That kind of galvanisation and team management is key to getting out of the Championship, as many teams fail because they don't have the mental ability.

Pro - There are foundations in place at Norwich

Whilst the current Norwich City side isn't perfect and changes are needed, there are teams in the division that are in worse states than the Canaries.

Norwich have a decent stadium, a large fanbase and a squad containing some really talented players, which are always benefits for a new manager when he first starts work at the club.

If O'Neill were to join Norwich, he'd have talented players such as Alex Pritchard, Wes Hoolahan, the Murphy twins as well as his Northern Ireland goalkeeper Michael McGovern.

Work does need to be done on the Norwich squad this summer, but O'Neill wouldn't have to start from scratch at Carrow Road as there would be some class players already at his disposal.

Con - He's been in international management for quite a while

Michael O'Neill has been Northern Ireland boss since 2011 and has slowly improved the side, but international management is different than club management in a number of different ways.

In club management, you're on the training pitch with your players almost every day, and they are you are the manager of those players, whereas in international management you're only in charge of the players for a few weeks before they go back to their clubs.

Club management is a day-in day-out job, which Michael O'Neill hasn't been involved in since 2011 when he was gaffer of Irish side Shamrock Rovers.

Con - He has no Championship experience

Michael O'Neill has only ever managed Shamrock Rovers and Scottish side Brechin City at club level, having never managed in England at all.

The Championship can be a ruthless league, and if you're unprepared or unorganised you can quickly find yourself in a heap of trouble.

There are often managers appointed in the Championship that haven't got any experience in the division and they struggle, before quickly being sacked. Paul Clement, Walter Zenga, Marinus Dijkhuizen and Roberto Di Matteo have all lost their jobs within one season after struggling in the English second tier.

However, their are managers that are new to the division and do well. Carlos Carvahal has impressed a Sheffield Wednesday whilst Slavisa Jokanovic has done well with both Fulham and Watford.

Norwich fans... Would you like to see Michael O'Neill as Canaries boss? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!