McCANN PUTS HIS FUTURE ON HOLD

NEIL McCANN has vowed to put talks over his long-term future at Dens Park on ice until he succeeds in safeguarding Dundee’s Premiership status. The former Rangers, Hearts and Scotland winger has been a revelation since returning as manager to the club where he began his playing career but has not yet said if he’ll return to his job as a Sky Sports pundit. Breathing new life into a team which had lost seven successive matches, he recorded wins at Motherwell and Kilmarnock before a home draw with Ross County last Saturday. Dundee are now on the cusp of safety and, if Hamilton lose at Ross County tonight, their survival will be official. However, McCann, whose side could relegate Inverness at Dens Park tomorrow, declined to be distracted by contract talks or events elsewhere. ‘Listen, my message has been pretty constant,’ he said. ‘I have loved every second of this job but I also love my job at Sky. ‘There will be no questions answered on my future until I get us into a position where the target I have set the guys is met: first and foremost, that Dundee are in the Premiership next year. ‘It would be wrong of me to start speaking about it when we have a job to do. ‘What have I enjoyed most about this job? Working with a great group of people — and I include all the club staff in that. ‘When you see you are having an impact on results and see the players carry out the things you are asking of them, that’s the beauty of being a manager.’ McCann confirmed captain Darren O’Dea remains the club’s new penalty-taker after his thumping strike against County. ‘Darren is still on penalties — if not on celebrations,’ grinned McCann after the Irishman was booked for jumping into the crowd. ‘All joking aside, no keeper was going to save that.’