2nd November 2012 09:49
Ennis had previously said, in her acceptance speech for the European Athlete of the Year award last month: '2014 will be a big year and, obviously, I'm preparing and looking forward to the European Championships which will be in Zurich; that will probably be my main focus for the year.'
Minichiello was answering British media queries on Thursday about her participation at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which will be held in the Scottish city of Glasgow, but also said that the 2010 European Athletics Championships heptathlon gold medallist will return to the continent's top competition after deciding to concentrate on her Olympic ambitions and not defend her European title in Helsinki this summer.
'Jessica will be at Glasgow 2014, definitely; that is absolutely the competition plan for us looking ahead.
'She has not won the Commonwealth title before. It will not be easy in Glasgow, either. It is tight in terms of the schedule with Glasgow 2014 coming about a fortnight before the European Championships but we certainly intend to come to Scotland,' said Minichiello.
'In fact, I've already said to Jessica she should delay her retirement in order to take in the Commonwealth Games in 2018, but perhaps that's because I would quite like a trip to the Gold Coast in Australia,' he joked.
What Minichiello and Ennis haven't revealed yet is whether she will take on the formidable task of doing two heptathlons in the space of barely two weeks in 2014, and attempt to regain the multi-event title she won in Barcelona two years ago, or take on Europe's best in an individual event such as the 100m hurdles.
Ennis opened her gold medal campaign in London with a 100m hurdles run in 12.54, a British national record and also the fastest time by a European this year.