McAuley considering international future

West Brom defender Gareth McAuley has admitted he will consider his international future with Northern Ireland following the conclusion of Euro 2016.

The Green and White army, who are 3.50 to qualify from Group C, are set to take part in their first ever European Championship this summer and McAuley is expected to secure a starting role.

The defender currently has 58 caps and is likely to feature in every game when Northern Ireland face Poland, Ukraine and Germany.

However, McAuley has admitted he is seriously considering calling time on his international career when the tournament ends. The Baggies man, who recently signed a new one-year extension to commit to the club for a sixth campaign, believes his time with the national side may be coming to an end.

McAuley admitted the prospect of trying to help the team qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia is a tempting one, but he isn’t certain he can commit for another two years. The former Ipswich man has revealed that he will hold talks with boss Michael O’Neill after the Euros.

McAuley said: “Every time you play at Windsor Park it is special whether it is your first time or your last one. In terms of whether it is my last, I have not made up my mind on that one yet. “What I’ll do is sit down and talk to Michael about things after France.

I’ll be focused on the tournament and then we can discuss the future. “Of course I want to play for Northern Ireland, but the thing is can I commit to two years for another qualifying campaign? “I have it in my head that I am taking a season at a time.

“I’ve signed another year’s contract at West Brom and the last thing I would want to do is start something and then have to retire or leave it in the middle. “That’s a big thing I have to sit down and speak to Michael about. He has said to me that I look like I could play for another two years, but we’ll see.”