Aaron Hughes might just put one of his predecessors out of a broadcasting job when he hangs up his boots.

But that is not why former Northern Ireland centre-back John O’Neill hopes the Albion defender keeps going for a few years yet.

Hughes is in line for a recall at Norwich City on Saturday, providing he has suffered no after-effects from international duty.

And O’Neill would love to see him get an extended run in the side as Albion look to play their way out of trouble.

The former Leicester City defender is a regular in the BBC Radio Ulster commentary box alongside Joel Taggart whenever Northern Ireland play.

And he rates Hughes as highly as any of the men in green they watch.

O’Neill, capped 39 times, said: “Aaron has been playing well for quite a long time.

“He’s a clever footballer. Joel was saying before the Slovenia game four years ago that he and Stephen Craigan would be good guys to have on the radio when they retired.

“I said to him jokingly ‘Are you trying to get rid of me?’.

“Northern Ireland won 1-0 and afterwards we were saying how well they played.

“I said to Joel ‘Yes, especially Aaron and Stephen – hopefully they’ll go on for another five years!’.

“Ironically, that has proved to be true with Aaron. He looks so comfortable it’s untrue.”

Hughes was doubtful for his nation’s game in Bucharest last Friday after injuring his ankle in an awkward fall at Bournemouth recently.

But he was passed fit and stood strong as Romania attacked time and again.

O’Neill said: “It was as intense pressure as I’ve seen.

“In the previous two games (wins in Hungary and Greece) we defended well but we also had a lot more possession and a chance to create our own problems.

“This time we missed Steven Davis and Jamie Ward further forward and it was backs to the wall the whole time.

“We defended magnificently for 75 minutes but you can’t defend like that for a whole game. We had a scare Aaron might not be fit for the game but, to be honest, I can’t remember him having a bad game for Northern Ireland.

“He reads the game so well. He has had a few partners back there. There was Stephen, Jonny Evans and Gareth McAuley. I just keep my fingers crossed he keeps fit and healthy and reaches 100 caps.”

While making the national team has rarely been a problem for Hughes, the story has sometimes been different with his club sides.

He has not started a league game at centre-back since the first eight days of the season. O’Neill, whose career was ended by serious injury suffered on his Norwich City debut in 1987, would like to see him play against the Canaries.

But he has a theory that Hughes might be better suited to international football.

He said: “I’ve always rated Aaron. When he was at Newcastle and Aston Villa I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t getting a regular place. I felt when I was playing, I played all my best football at international level and maybe it’s the same with Aaron.

“The game is not as fast as in the league but you have to have a good football brain. It’s slow, slow, then goes very quick.

“Aaron’s a model pro. He’s always in the right place at the right time and that’s a great quality to have.”