Jose Couceiro has rejected reports linking him to the Hearts manager's job after the departure of compatriot Paulo Sergio.
The Portuguese had worked as sporting director at Sporting Lisbon while Sergio was in charge, and the pair are known to be close friends.
He had been considered to be a front-runner for the vacancy as he was already well known to Vladimir Romanov, Hearts' majority shareholder, having previously had spells in charge of the Lithuanian national team and FBK Kaunas.
We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.
Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.
