Steve McClaren: 'I'm focused on Derby County'

Steve McClaren has said that he is fully focused on his role as Derby County manager after he was linked to the Newcastle United job.

Derby County currently sit fourth in the Championship table and look likely to be involved in the Championship playoffs next month, but it is believed that McClaren may quit at the iPro Stadium if he fails to lead Derby to the Premier League this season.

"I haven't got a clue if I'm a candidate for the Newcastle job," McClaren told Sky Sports News.

"I think there was no secret that there was an interest in December and January. We talked about that and in the end they didn't have a manager then. What they did was appoint a manager [John Carver] and that is what they have got, and he is fighting for the job.

"While somebody is in a job it is a little bit disrespectful. It's disrespectful to John Carver, to Newcastle, my focus is purely on Derby. But this is newspapers and this is what they do, they speculate. At the present moment Newcastle doesn't interest me, I am not thinking about that. I am thinking solely of Derby."

Carver was Newcastle United assistant manager before taking charge in January.