Roberto Martinez insists it is a 'compliment' to be linked with bigger jobs after the Wigan Athletic manager was mooted as a candidate to take charge at Liverpool.
The Wigan boss masterminded a stunning closing few weeks of the season as victories over several of the Premier League's leading clubs ensured top-flight survival.
Latics chairman Dave Whelan has previously stated that Martinez will eventually land a top job and the Spaniard has been linked as a long-term replacement for Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool.
But far from viewing it as a distraction, Martinez, who turned down a move to Aston Villa last summer, takes it as recognition of his achievements at the DW Stadium.
"There is another manager in that club, no?" he said when asked about the Liverpool link, adding that he had also seen his name associated with Barcelona.
"When you get stories linking clubs with your players or in this case with a manager, it must be because you have done something right.
"We cannot control speculation and I am not going to lie to you, I like the speculation. I see it as a real compliment. Speculation will follow a team - you get good speculation and bad speculation.
"The speculation I don't like is when it suggests you are going to lose your job after a couple of defeats.
"I am proud and happy that the club is attracting a lot of good headlines and stories.
"We always need to be prepared that whatever happens is for the good of the club.
"We need to make sure we carry on with the progress we have been making in the last few years, not just on the pitch but off it.
"That is all I am bothered about; working hard and making sure the chairman is a proud man when he assesses his football club."
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