Whilst Magilton has had a long managerial career, which has included stints at Ipswich Town, QPR and Melbourne Victory, Healy is the more experienced of the two managers in the Irish League.
He has been at the helm at Linfield since 2015, winning five Gibson Cups, two Irish Cups, two League Cups and a County Antrim Shield.
When asked if he could have ever envisaged coming up against Magilton in the Irish League, Healy admitted “probably not” but spoke of his huge admiration for the Cliftonville boss.
“Jim has done a terrific job since he’s been in. I have massive respect for Jim, the manager and the coach, explained Healy.
“My relationship with Jim goes way back to players around the international set-up and I still see him quite a lot around international games.”
He also gave an insight into how the relationship has played out over the years.
“We’ve shared dressing rooms; we’ve shared debates we’ve shared fallouts at different times, and we haven’t always agreed on everything but that is part of the relationships that keeps us friendly enough today.”
