You Can't Blame A Guy For Asking

The Russian club are adamant O'Connor is not for sale. Lokomotiv spokesman Aleksandr Udaltsov said: "Garry is not for sale. Mr Romanov may have been waiting for a phone call. But since Garry is not available then there was no point. There have been talks about Garry, but he is one of the main players. I can't disclose the fee that was being talked about as that is confidential."

Meanwhile Hibs manager Tony Mowbray has urged his remaining young players to think long-term and not go chasing money to the detriment of their careers. We reported that Mowbray had agreed a new 12-month rolling contract which will kick in when his current deal expires next summer in a bid to put to an end speculation surrounding his future at Easter Road. Now the ex-Celtic and Middlesbrough defender is keen to see the accomplished youngsters in his team follow his example and bide their time before taking their careers to the next level. Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson, Steven Whittaker and Steven Fletcher have all been linked with moves away on a regular basis.

In what could be seen as a barbed comment on Derek Riordan's career move to Celtic, Mowbray said: "There have been recent examples of players leaving clubs and maybe not instantly achieving things they might want to achieve.

"Young players, particularly, sometimes get contrasting advice and I would like to think our young players trust me when I say the best thing for them in the next couple of years would be continue their progress here.

There is no guarantee you are going to play every week, but you are going to play football if you stay fit and, hopefully, with players who enjoy playing with you and in front of fans who appreciate you. Your talent eventually dictates you move on - footballers outgrow clubs. And, when that time comes, their talent will dictate that they are not going to a club to be a squad player there, they are going to make an impact on the team because they are that good.

"At the age of 20, it should not be about the money. I know it is a temptation to go and earn four, five, six, seven, eight, 10 times your salary somewhere else. But there can be instances of players going and earning money but their career comes to a stuttering halt. You get the money but you do not play."