Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez is giving nothing away about his long term plans as his stock continues to rise.

Sanchez will hold talks with the Irish Football Association next month as they are keen to extend his contract which expires when the province exit the European Championships.

That could be a long way down the line given they now stand proudly at the top of Group F.

Under Sanchez's stewardship, Northern Ireland are making rapid progress after losing their opening home qualifier to Iceland.

League clubs are bound to note the way the former Wycombe boss has turned the team's fortunes around but he remains guarded about his future.

He said: "We will find some time to perhaps have a chat to see what we might do.  Sometime I will leave when my star is not shining so brightly."

"We have just beaten Sweden and I'm just enjoying the victory," he told BBC Radio.  "A manager is only as good as his last game and the future will take care of itself."

A bonus of £1million-plus awaits the squad should they defy the odds and reach the finals in Austria and Switzerland.

IFA president Jim Boyce would be more than happy for the governing body to pay out.

"People dismissed the scheme as a publicity stunt and talked about Boyce's millions but I do not think they are scoffing now, " he said.

"We have a chance although there is still a long way to go in the campaign. One of the strengths of the squad is the way the players gel together and get on together."

While Northern Ireland fans are daring to dream, Sanchez remains cautious about their prospects.

He said: "People might start thinking of booking their holidays to Austria and Switzerland but there is a lot of football left to be played.

"The good thing from my point of view is the resilience we are showing. We can recover from going behind and get back into games."

Sweden coach Lars Lagerback believes Northern Ireland can qualify with Spain and Denmark also in the mix.

He said: "You have to give Northern Ireland a lot of respect. They are extremely well organised.

"They probably play some of the most effective football you can find. Northern Ireland get a lot of players behind the ball when they lose it.

"When they attack, they attack very fast. It is a special style and you have to concentrate hard."

Lagerback added: "It is much more open group now with four teams competing for two places.

"While we were leaders I do not know if we were ever favourites. This will be a tough race right until the final round of games."  PA