Ex-Fleetwood boss Pressley's passion to work at very top

Pressley just about steered Town to safety in the 2015/16 League One campaign after taking over from Graham Alexander in the October.

But after a tumultuous pre-season that saw Town leak goals, Pressley quit just days before the big kick-off, paving the way for Uwe Rosler to turn Town from relegation battlers into promotion contenders.

And as Rosler launches his first pre-season at Poolfoot Farm early with a fitness week from Monday, Pressley is still plotting his next move.

In a recent BBC interview, the Scot made no mention of Fleetwood but focused on his 100-game tenure at previous club Coventry.

The 43-year-old, who was linked with the Dundee job last month, said he had turned down offers to return to the game and vowed to be “more strategic” than before when finalising his next move.

Pressley said: “I want to take a club where I feel that we share the same values, where we share the same goals, where I believe I can make an impact that allows me then to eventually go to the next step.

“I’m looking at all different opportunities and I think I’ll know when it’s the right opportunity.

“I have a real, real burning desire to manage at the very top.

“It’s not an arrogance. If you actually look at my career as a manager, scratch beneath the surface and look at the aspects I’ve had to deal with, I think I’ve dealt with them exceptionally well.

“I am hugely respectful and I am hugely appreciative of the offers that I’ve received.

“I wouldn’t have knocked them back because I think I’m above them. That’s nothing to do with it. It’s how I get to where I want to be – that’s the only reason.”

Former Fleetwood striker Declan McManus has returned to his native Scotland on a one-year deal with Championship club Dunfermline.

Released by Town last month at the end of his two-year contract, the 22-year-old had not played for the club since November 2015.

The Scotland Under-21 frontman was loaned to Greenock Morton before spending the whole of last season with Raith Rovers. McManus scored his only Town goal on his debut against Southend.