| Both as a player and a manager, Craig is a Hearts legend and it has been reported today the Tynecastle side are set to make a formal approach to United in a bid to lure him back for a second spell in charge of their team.
So far, that has not happened and the Tangerines were saying, therefore, little on the matter today, but, behind the scenes, there is a quiet confidence in their ability to rebuff any approach.
“Craig Levein is very happy at Dundee United and we are currently planning with him for next season and the future,” was Stephen Thompson’s reaction.
Craig himself, meanwhile, was sticking to his position of refusing to discuss the matter, though he did make a point of confirming the validity of his chief executive’s statement.
And, while United do believe that, at some point in the next few years, their gaffer will be lured away by a bigger offer — probably from down south — they are equally convinced that, right now, there is no better job for him in Scotland than the one he has.
As well as turning round the fortunes of the first team since his arrival at the end of October 2006 and leading them to a top-six finish this season, he has also been involved in revamping the club at all levels.
Under the microscope just now is the youth set-up and how the glory days of the late 1970s and 1980s, when United produced the best young talent in the land, can be restored.
Going hand-in-hand with that is work on the top team for next term, and the next week or so should see more new arrivals.
All that spells bad news for troubled Hearts, who will have to take their search for a permanent first-team coach elsewhere.
With Motherwell’s Mark McGhee knocking them back and their prodigal son happy where he is in Dundee, indications are that could take at least another month or so to complete. |
