Mannus coy on Northern Ireland place for France

St Johnstone goalkeeper Alan Mannus admits he is unsure about his place in Northern Ireland’s squad for Euro 2016 this summer.

The 33-year-old stopper has been part of the Northern Ireland set-up for ten years but has earned just seven full caps during that time.

Hamilton’s Michael McGovern and former Manchester United stopper Roy Carroll are ahead of Mannus in the pecking order these days but he admits it would be a dream to travel to a major tournament finals with his country.

Mannus missed the recent friendlies with Wales and Slovenia owing to the birth of his child and he says he will remain cautious on getting the call from manager Michael O’Neill.

He wants to stay focused on his form for St Johnstone but admits that may not be a decisive factor.

“I’m just focusing on doing my best for the club. I’m not even sure how much your club form plays a part in the manager’s decision – it probably comes down more to how you’ve done in the games for Northern Ireland,” said Mannus.

Northern Ireland have been drawn to face world champions Germany, along with Poland and Ukraine in the group stages at Euro 2016 in June.

Looking ahead to the tournament, Mannus admits he is likely to be third choice stopper if he makes the cut, but he doesn’t want to start getting ahead of himself until he knows his place is assured.

“I doubt I’ll play a part in any of the games. I don’t even know if I’m going yet. I wasn’t there for the last squad because my wife was giving birth,” he added.

“So I’ll have to see if I’m involved in the next squad for the friendlies before the Euros. It would be brilliant to be involved but I don’t want to talk like I’m definitely going and end up looking stupid if I don’t.”

Northern Ireland are 4.20 to win the opening Euro 2016 game against Poland on June 12. The Poles are 1.80 to claim a win and the draw is 3.25.