The man who recommended Marian Pahars to Saints has admitted to being "flattered" by reports linking him with Gordon Strachan's job.

Gary Johnson, one of the most up-and-coming managers in the Nationwide League, persuaded former Saints manager Dave Jones to sign Pahars when he was in charge of Latvia between 1999-2001.

But he has spent the last two years taking Yeovil from the Conference to the upper reaches of Division Three

He is under contract at Huish Park until 2006 but the likelihood is that Yeovil will not stand in his way if he emerges as Rupert Lowe's first choice.

Johnson, who was manager of Cambridge United from 1993-95, said: "I can understand where the link has come from because Marian did well for me when I was manager of Latvia and I'm still in touch with him.

"But I'm still under contract to Yeovil and Southampton have still got a manager.

"Gordon has said he's going to be leaving at the end of the season, but unless anyone from the club makes contact with me directly it's just speculation

"It's very nice to be linked with a job like that and to be mentioned in those circles, it's obviously very flattering, but that's all I can say.

"At the moment I'm enjoying life in Yeovil, we're looking to progress, and the Southampton talk is just gossip."

Johnson, who was youth coach at Watford when they won promotion to the Premiership under Graham Taylor in 1999, took over at Yeovil within months of returning to England. Since arriving in Somerset, Johnson led Yeovil to FA Trophy success in his first season and last year won the Conference title with a record 98 points - 14 points clear of runners-up Morecambe.

This season Yeovil, playing in the Football League for the first time, are occupying a Third Division play-off place and recently appeared on the BBC against Liverpool in the FA Cup.

Johnson, who was assistant manager to John Beck at Cambridge during that club's rise through the leagues in the early 1990s, has built a primarily young squad full of players once rejected by Premiership clubs.

And it is his work with youngsters that will no doubt impress Lowe, who is keen to see the club's academy continue to produce its own players.

And Lowe has a history of delving into the Nationwide League - he plucked Dave Jones from Second Division Stockport seven years ago to replace Graeme Souness at The Dell.

A Yeovil source said: "If Gary is linked to Saints it wouldn't surprise me at all. He's never said he wants to manage at a higher level out of respect to Yeovil, but I'm sure he would jump at the chance to manage in the Premiership. He's from the London area so it would be closer to home for him.

"It's about time clubs in the Premiership started looking to the lower leagues for good managers - there's not enough English managers in the Premiership as it is.

"Gary has said he learnt so much while managing Latvia from attending coaching courses and meetings with other international coaches."