Gareth Ainsworth says he is ‘flattered’ by links to the managerial posts at Rovers and QPR – but is focused on the job at hand with Wycombe Wanderers.

Ainsworth has been linked to both jobs, with Tony Mowbray and Mark Warburton to leave their respective clubs at the end of the season.

The 48-year-old has links to both, being a boyhood Rovers fan and making over 150 appearances during a six-and-a-half year spell at Loftus Road in his playing days, which makes the links unsurprising.

Rovers have been contacted by out-of-work managers in the wake of Mowbray’s comments to the press that his five year stay at the club will come to an end after Saturday’s trip to Birmingham City.

The club haven’t made any approaches at this stage however, not least given the fact that Mowbray’s departure hasn’t been officially confirmed.

Mowbray has outlined how there have been no conversations about his future, despite his contract coming to an end this summer, something that is understood to have now been addressed.

Yet alongside his expiring contract, Mowbray has made clear his desire to address his work-life balance after five years in the job.

That has opened up the expected vacancy in the Ewood Park hotseat, with Ainsworth among the early favourites for the job with bookmakers.

However, that is merely speculation at this point, with the Wycombe boss not understood to be in the club’s immediate thoughts.

A boyhood Rover, Ainsworth has spoken in glowing terms of the club, and Mowbray, and came up against them twice last season as Wycombe narrowly avoided a Championship great escape.

His current focus is on Thursday’s League One semi-final with MK Dons where Wanderers will be looking to win immediate promotion back to the second tier.

Ainsworth is no stranger to speculation having been linked with the Preston North End job, another of his former clubs, earlier this year.

And for that reason he says he is able to brush it aside and concentrate on Thursday's crucial meeting with an MK Dons side who narrowly missed out on automatic promotion.

Ainsworth told the local press: “I’m humbled and flattered to be linked with jobs like that as they are obviously big clubs, but I am at a big club as well, and we’ve got plenty of time to do things here.

“Nothing is going to distract me from these play-offs and for me, it’s all about the play-offs and Wycombe Wanderers. I’ve been here before as it’s not like the first time so that’s probably a good thing.

“Flattered as always but I’m cracking on with the play-offs which I’m loving, as it’s going to be a real big occasion (against Milton Keynes).”

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