THE Scottish FA will continue its search for a new Scotland manager from an established list of candidates after being rejected by Michael O'Neill.

The Northern Ireland boss turned down the opportunity to succeed Gordon Strachan on Monday after holding talks with the SFA last week.

Chief Executive Regan released a statement in response to the news, insisting that he respects the decision of the 48-year-old and that the new manager will have 'ample time' to prepare for the UEFA Nations League.

It read: “The process of identifying and recruiting a new Scotland national coach remains ongoing.

“The Board of the Scottish FA appointed a sub-committee to oversee the recruitment process, compile a list of suitable candidates and ultimately make a recommendation. As part of that process, and in recognition of his work in taking Northern Ireland to UEFA Euro 2016, Michael O’Neill was identified as an obvious candidate for consideration.

“To that end, we requested permission to speak to Michael from the Irish Football Association, which was accepted. Michael and his advisers met our delegation in Edinburgh on Thursday and discussed all aspects of the role during a three-hour meeting.

“While this was a positive and cordial discussion, we respect Michael’s decision to remain loyal to Northern Ireland, with whom he has enjoyed great success.

“We wish him well in his future endeavours and thank the Irish FA for their professionalism throughout. We now continue our recruitment process from the candidate list established by the selection committee, with a view to giving the new national coach ample time to prepare the squad for the UEFA Nations League.”