Mowbray admits to being ambitious

He has been linked with a move to former club Middlesbrough should Steve McClaren become England manager.

But Mowbray told BBC Sport: "It's just speculation and nobody should question my commitment to the job here.

"I love coming into the club every day and working with our talented young players and seeing them progress."

Mowbray pointed out that he prefers to be honest and admits to being ambitious to further his career at some point in the future.

"Just because I have a romantic notion about one day returning to a club I played with for 12 years, leads to this kind of talk," he said.

Scott's not going to be a knight in shining armour Tony Mowbray

"I would imagine that, rather than go for some romantic notion, the people at that football club will have probably have much better candidates for the job than someone who has been plying his trade in the Scottish league for two years."

Hibs take on Hearts in the final Edinburgh derby of the season at the weekend with the memory of losing 4-0 in the Scottish Cup semi-final still fresh.

But Mowbray stressed that his side would not be motivated by thoughts of revenge and would instead concentrate on taking points necessary to claim a Uefa Cup qualification spot.

"The Edinburgh derby has enough passion in it without worrying about what happened three or four weeks ago," he said.

"We had a weakened team and the game just slipped away from us, but I don't think there was much between the teams."

Scott Brown returned to action with the reserves in midweek after long-term injury, but Mowbray is reluctant to throw the midfielder straight into the action.

"He's been out for three months, so he's not going to be a knight in shining armour," he said.