While Oxtoby is yet to confirm Callaghan’s successor, Platt says the Cliftonville midfielder still has an important role to play in the team’s future.
“We know that this is a transitional phase and it’s important that the players that have been involved in the process and have given their lives to it continue to do so,” said Platt.
“Marissa stepping down as captain doesn’t change that. She’ll still continue to do what Marissa does and compete on the pitch and give everything she can to develop the game.
“She’ll help nurture the development of the next phase of players that are coming through, so nothing changes from our perspective, but it’s important we give those other players the opportunity to step up and lead.”
After a history-making appearance at the European Championship in England, Northern Ireland have struggled for consistency over the past two years.
While their inaugural Nations League campaign under Oxtoby yielded two wins over Albania, they finished third in Group B3 after managing just a point from home and away fixtures against both the Republic of Ireland and Hungary.
Oxtoby’s side retained their place in League B for Euro 2025 qualifying with a 3-1 aggregate play-off win over Montenegro, but they could only draw at home to 87th-ranked Malta in their opening qualifier before beating Bosnia-Herzegovina away.