Cambridge United head coach Mark Bonner has refuted links to the Luton Town managerial vacancy following Nathan Jones' departure to Premier League outfit Southampton.
The 36-year-old was one of two names cited by Football Insider last week, along with ex-Blackpool man Neil Critchley, as being of interest to the Hatters hierarchy.
Bonner is highly-rated in football circles for the job he has done with the U's, leading them to promotion into League One in 2021 and also guiding them to a famous FA Cup win over Newcastle United earlier in 2022.
Luton's Championship rivals Rotherham United came calling for Bonner earlier in the season when Paul Warne departed for Derby County, but to the delight of Cambridge supporters, their head coach turned the Millers down and stayed put at the Abbey Stadium.
There has been natural worry from Cambridge supporters that Bonner could be tempted if Luton come calling, but he has reiterated his commitment to the club that he has been at for 11 years.
“No, this is the job that interests me, the job I’ve got," Bonner said of the Luton links, per CambridgeshireLive.
“I think everybody knows where I am at the minute, and we are midway through something.
“We’ve probably come further faster than anybody thought, but we’ve also got quite a long way to go.
“I’m somewhere like 13th or 14th longest serving out of 92 managers, which is actually ridiculous, because it’s not even three years.
“We’re into something. We’ve got really sensible people running the club, unbelievably committed people driving the club.
“We know we’ve got a lot to do to get better, but we have come a long way as well, and we’re going to keep pushing it forward and seeing if we can build something that lasts. I think that’s important.
“For me, if my time ends here, either by my choice or the club’s, I want to make sure that when that happens, the club is built to last and the football department is built to last, and I don’t feel we’re there yet at all.
“This is my club that I’m 100 per cent committed to, and we’re going to make sure that we leave it better when my time’s up.”
The Verdict
Bonner is one of the exciting young managers in English football right now and considering what he is doing at Cambridge on a small budget, it's no surprise.
But clearly it would be hard for him to depart Cambridge in the near future considering he has spent so long at the club.
Inevitably though, the right job will end up coming up and Bonner will move on, such is the potential that he has in the game.
That time isn't yet however, and it's nice to see a manager show loyalty in football when so many would move on.