Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes reveals the big job he’d still love to take on

DEREK McINNES has confessed he harbours a dream of being Scotland boss one day.

The Killie boss opened up on SunSport’s YouTube One-on-One series, discussing his 17 years in the dugout in charge of St Johnstone, Bristol City, Aberdeen and now at Rugby Park.

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And the 53-year-old — who won the League Cup at Pittodrie and secured four consecutive runners-up places before guiding Killie to a top-four finish and Europe — admitted he’d love to get a crack at the national team post when the time is right.

He remains happy at Rugby Park and fully focused on the job in hand.

Having joined Killie in January 2022, McInnes is under contract until 2027.

And he’s convinced the Ayrshire outfit have the potential to win a major trophy under his watch.

But McInnes — who guided Killie back into the top flight after winning the Championship in 2022 — didn’t shy away from also confirming he’s still got plenty of other ambitions as a manager.

And that includes a stint leading his country.

He said: “I’ve obviously got certain things I want to do.

“I’m still — hopefully it comes across — as enthusiastic as when I started the job.

“I feel as if I’ve got the benefit of my experience as a manager.

“And of course, I’m LOVING my job here.

“I think you’ve just got to deal with what’s in front of you — and what’s in front of us is trying to keep the whole thing going here.

“But if you could write a career for yourself then it would involve managing Scotland — of course it would.

“I think we’ve got a great set of players with Scotland and we have got a good manager who has done so well in recent times.

“There’s still a lot of optimism surrounding the Scotland job.

“And it’s something I would like to do, of course I would.

“But there’s also other things I want to do as well — and there’s still stuff to do here at Rugby Park with Kilmarnock.”

• You can watch McInnes’ exclusive two-part interview online, via our social media platforms and on Scottish SunSport’s YouTube channel.

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