Ross County manager John Hughes expects talks over his future will only proceed once the Staggies’ Premiership survival fate is decided.
Hughes was drafted in by County chairman Roy MacGregor to replace Stuart Kettlewell in December, at a time when the Dingwall outfit sat four points adrift at the foot of the table.
The former Caley Thistle manager was handed a contract until the end of the season, with the remit of keeping the Staggies in the top flight.
County are 10th with two games remaining, a point above Kilmarnock who occupy the relegation play-off spot, while they are three points clear of bottom-placed Hamilton Accies who they host in a crunch game on Wednesday.
Although the Staggies’ fate is in their own hands, Hughes’ immediate priority is seeing the survival job through before his own future is resolved.
Hughes said: “Right at this moment in time it does not even interest me.
“What will be will be, if those talks do ever happen then fine. I’m so 100% focused on the last two games.
“That’s what all my focus is on. I don’t want outside noise, and I think the chairman is the same as well.
“It’s not as if we don’t know where we are, so it’s irrelevant really. I’m quite happy with that.
“I always enjoy my time up here. It’s a place where you can come up and be sort of out the way. It just lets you get on with your football and I enjoy that.
“Our remit is to stay in the Premiership.
“No matter what happens, in terms of talks, that will be on the agenda.
“If we are in the Premiership, or if we are not in the Premiership, I think that will have a massive bearing on what’s going to happen next year.”
County go into Wednesday’s game fresh from an excellent 2-0 victory over Dundee United, but Hughes insists he will not get carried away.
Hughes added: “I have always found in football you just need to stay guarded and level.
“When you win, just try and stay like that because I’ve always learned in football there is always a kick in the backside around the corner that takes you back down.
“It’s great when you win and you see it come to fruition, but the remit is to stay in the Premiership.”
Hughes is among the most experienced managerial campaigners in Scottish football, having started out as co-manager of Falkirk in 2003 alongside former Staggies boss Owen Coyle.
While the 56-year-old retains the same outlook on the game, he says he has had to adapt his approach to dealing with players.
He added: “The values and principles I put in during my first coaching days at Falkirk, the style of play and philosophy, are still with me now.
“It changes in that you get more experienced and you know how to handle situations. I think a lot of management now is the people skills, getting to know the person and having a real interest in them.
“That means spending a lot of time with them, a lot of talking, sitting down and having a coffee. That’s massive.
“Once you know the person, you see if their character is what you are looking for to bring the best out of them.
“All the experience I have had from Falkirk, right the way through my management career, I use it every day.”
