Steven Naismith breaks Millwall silence as Hearts boss takes hardline stance despite one 'uncertainty'

Hearts boss Steven Naismith has played down speculation linking him with the Millwall hot seat.

The boss is enjoying his first full season in the Tynecastle dugout with the the Jambos comfortably sitting in third spot in the Scottish Premiership and has all-but guaranteed the club a shot at the Europa League next term - with a minimum of the Conference League group stage on the cards. Reports south of the border suggest his work has caught the eye of the Lions - who are said to be considering a change of boss in the summer with recently appointed Neil Harris already under pressure amid a fight for English Championship survival.

However, Naismith insists his focus remains on finishing the job in Gorgie this season. Speaking to The Scotsman, the Hearts boss said: "Since I've retired from playing, I've had a picture of the route I want to take and what I want to do. Through my playing career, I had an understanding of the steps to take to be successful.

"This is my first year taking a team at senior level. It's the first step and it's probably a big first step. I could have made a choice to take an easier first step regarding the demand and size of club. I'm enjoying every minute of it at Hearts and our focus is on being successful. You get linked and your name gets put towards different stories at times.

"That either happens when you are doing really poorly and you're due the sack, or you are doing really well and people are noticing. In some respects it's nice to see, but I'm not really taking much notice of it. I'm at the very early stages of my managerial career. It takes time to get your point across and get your understanding of the players. We are in a good moment and we've done loads of hard work to get to this