One of the initial favourites for the vacant manager’s position at Wigan Athletic has played down speculation, insisting there is “nothing” in the claims connecting him with the role.
Coleraine manager Ruaidhri Higgins has been among the leading names with bookmakers since Ryan Lowe was dismissed at the weekend.
It had always seemed unlikely that the 41-year-old would become a serious contender for a club that was competing in the Premier League just 13 years ago.
And Higgins himself – speaking after Coleraine’s 2-1 win over Portadown on Tuesday evening – strongly dismissed the rumours.
“I’ve seen it as well,” he said in an interview with BBC Sport NI. “My phone has been buzzing for the past couple of days with people sending me messages about it. There is nothing in it.
“I’ve only been in this role for six or seven months and I’ve got a fantastic owner, a fantastic chief executive, outstanding staff and great players.
“The club is moving in the right direction and I’m extremely happy here – probably the happiest I’ve been in a long time.
“You don’t really expect to be linked with something like that. But my complete focus is on this football club and on reaching our potential. There is absolutely nothing to report on that.”
Meanwhile, former Latics captain and manager Gary Caldwell is believed to be among the candidates for a return to Wigan, ten years after he was dismissed just five months after guiding the club to the League One title in the 2015/16 season.
The 43-year-old has been in charge of Exeter City since October 2022.
