Eddie Howe has distanced himself from an imminent move to take the vacant managerial reins at Celtic.
The former Bournemouth boss has emerged as a prime candidate to replace Neil Lennon, who was sacked in February following a disappointing season.
There has been suggestions that Howe was close to being appointed Celtic manager - but in a statement issued to Sportsmail on Wednesday night the 43-year-old indicated he was not close to returning to football.
A representative for Howe said: ‘There has been significant interest in Eddie from a number of clubs.