Millwall eye Hearts for potential Neil Harris successor | OneFootball

Highlights

Millwall are reportedly keeping tabs on Steven Naismith to become their new manager after a superb start to his first full season in the Hearts dugout.

Neil Harris came into the fold after leaving his Cambridge United post after just two months and with wins over Southampton and Watford, the Lions have jumped well up the table to stave off relegation fears in pursuit of another season in the Championship.

But his return may be short-lived with reports that Lions chiefs are weighing up a move for the Scotsman to become the new man in the dugout.

Millwall's pursuit of Steven Naismith

A report by Football Insider suggests that the Lions are amongst a number of Championship clubs keeping tabs on Steven Naismith after a superb campaign for the Jambos so far.

The former Rangers and Everton star has done extremely well in his first full season with the Edinburgh-based outfit after he took the job on an interim basis last season. Taking on the full-time role in the summer, Hearts currently sit in third place and are miles ahead of their competition in the league after becoming the ‘best of the rest’ - in which they are almost guaranteed to secure European group stage football next season under Naismith’s leadership.

A 2-0 win over Celtic on Sunday further boosted their profile and at just 37, Naismith is arguably Scotland’s highest-regarded young coach, receiving huge praise for his attacking nature but clubs are circling.

Millwall are one of those clubs according to the report, even though they recently appointed Harris as manager after Joe Edwards endured a horror run in the New Den hot seat, and whilst Harris has another year-and-a-half left on his contract, the boss could be replaced for a younger, more attractive proposition in a bid to shoot Millwall well up the table in the coming years.

Steven Naismith’s managerial career so far

Naismith retired from playing in the summer of 2021, having endured superb spells at Kilmarnock, Rangers, Everton, Norwich City, and Hearts - before he joined the backroom staff at Tynecastle by taking the ‘Player Development Manager’ role in the capital, alongside the coaching team of the Scotland national side.

Becoming interim manager in April 2023, he led Hearts to two wins, two losses, and three draws - including an away draw at Rangers - before taking on the reins this season.

17 wins in 29 league games so far in this campaign is an outstanding tally for the Jambos, and they’ve only lost three games in the league since the end of October; with two of those coming to leaders Rangers.

The most impressive spell of his career so far has seen Hearts take double 2-0 wins over Celtic, whilst a 10-game streak in the league saw them take 28 points from a possible 30 - and if not for a fairly poor start in the league which saw them win just three of their opening 10 in the Scottish Premiership, they would genuinely be involved in a title race.

What the reports mean for Neil Harris' future

It does seem harsh on Harris to already have reports flooding in for a new manager, especially with the boss winning both of his opening two fixtures to somewhat ease concerns over relegation in London.

Many were stunned when he returned to the hot seat having only spent two months at Cambridge United, but a short turnaround shows he was the perfect manager to come in and fight the relegation battle; though there will perhaps be conversations to be had in the summer should Naismith become a genuine key target.

Naismith may be viewed as a potential successor for Harris when his term comes to an end - whether that is in the summer or beyond remains to be seen.