Former Liverpool and Southampton star Jim Magilton has joined the Northern Ireland setup.

The Sun says he has been appointed as Northern Ireland's chief talent spotter.

The task facing former Ipswich and QPR boss Magilton, 44, is to find young footballers qualified to play for the country.

As elite performance director, he will also work to halt the exodus of players who can use a FIFA ruling to cross the border and play for the Republic.

Magilton, capped 52 times by Northern Ireland, said: "We can create a talent pipeline which will help to build successful international squads of the future."