TNS manager Craig Harrison has spoken of his desire to manage at the highest possible level after overseeing his side’s record-breaking campaign.
Reports emerged last week linking Harrison with struggling League 2 outfit Hartlepool United to once raised questions over the long-term future of the record-breaking TNS manager.
Harrison guided The New Saints to a league and league cup double this season after being denied the chance to win the domestic treble by Bala Town in Sunday’s Welsh Cup final.
Hartlepool parted ways with Dave Jones last week and Craig Harrison was quickly named in the local media as a possible candidate to succeed the former Cardiff City boss.
A return to his native north-east might be tempting to Harrison who says he is unaware of any contact between the two clubs.
“There’s not been any contact as far as I know,” he affirmed. “Obviously, I’m under contract so they have to contact the club and as far as I’m concerned, I’ve had nothing from the club saying Hartlepool have contacted TNS.”
Any possible interest from Harrison could depend on the outcome of Hartlepool’s season-defining fixture against Doncaster this weekend.
Hartlepool face relegation from League 2 into the National League if they lose in their final game of the season and Harrison has made quite clear where he sees his managerial career eventually progressing.
“I make no bones about it, without a shadow of a doubt, I’ve got ambition to manage in the Football League as high as I can,” he said.
“I said that to Mike Harris on the first day I met him regarding this job, because everyone is going to be a winner if I produce success for TNS, and then people are going to come looking.
“It’s the same for any player that’s doing well.
“At some point, I want to manage as high as I can. It might be TNS going into the Europa League or Champions League, it might be somewhere else, it might be England or abroad.”
Harrison is still only in his infancy in his manager but has already gained considerable experience with The New Saints.
“I’m only young. I’m 39-years-old, I’ve got a little bit of experience. I’ve got experience in the Champions League and I’ve just finished my UEFA Pro Licence. I am ambitious and I won’t hide that from anybody.
“I have had a pretty successful, good, short career as player and one thing that I do want, that I’m very passionate and hungry about, is to go on and make the best I can in my managerial career.
“That’s the situation whether it be anybody. It’s obviously nice it’s Hartlepool but it could be anybody. It could be next week, it could be two weeks, it could six months, it could be two years, it could be six years.
“I want to try and manage the highest levels I can and that’s what I want to do.”
The New Saints have now finished their season but will undergo an early pre-season schedule as they prepare for this summer’s UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds.