HARTLEPOOL United manager Paul Hartley has distanced himself personally from any discussions regarding a move for Josh McPake while admitting Jordan Cook’s ongoing situation needs to be resolved once the nature of his injury has been diagnosed.

Pools had declared their interest in Rangers winger McPake over a month ago but the 20-year-old was being tested out in pre-season by manager Giovanni Van Bronkhorst. After a number of signings into Ibrox, Gers have now given the green light for McPake to seal another loan move elsewhere.

A decision is set to be made on his future for next season by the end of the week with a number of clubs in England and the Scottish Premier League interested in his services.

However, the Pools boss said McPake is not a player that he has had internal discussions surrounding. Hartley said: “That one keeps coming up but it’s not something that we have actually spoke about. He keeps getting linked with us. He’s a good player but that’s as far as it goes.”

Meanwhile, Jordan Cook continues to train with Pools despite being out of contract. Cook, 31, was offered fresh terms in the summer but has continued to be plagued by persistent injury problems. He has been with the club throughout pre-season and travelled with them to their training camp in Portugal.

Hartley admitted that they are keen to diagnose the extent of his injury problems as he continued: “He’s injured so we have to assess and we have to see how bad it is and then we take it from there.

“He’s been really unfortunate. He’s a great kid but he’s just been really unfortunate so we need to look at where he’s at in terms of his injury and then we can take it from there.”

Regarding his contract offer, Hartley added: “That’s something that we need to discuss. I think the most important thing for now is to try and get him as fit as he can and make sure he’s okay.

“That’s why we bring them all here. I think it’s really important. You’ve got to take care of them and look after them. He’s had a terrible time with injuries so it’s our duty to look after him.”

Regarding the club’s ongoing search for new strikers, the situation remains as it was from last week with Pools waiting to hear back from a number of enquiries.

“Things are okay. It’s not an easy window” said the Pools boss. “We know we have to get good players in at the top end so we’re still trying. We hope to have a couple in the near future.

“We’re working hard and it’s not so easy. That top end is the most difficult area to fill and to try and get bodies. We’re hopeful we are not too far away with one or two but we’ll keep trying and I think our fans will be the first people to know.”

Pools latest pre-season friendly saw them beat Northern Premier League side Marske United 3-0 at Mount Pleasant.

After a tight affair on a bobbly surface in the first half, three goals in 15 minutes in the second half from Joe Grey, Mohammed Niang and Reghan Tumilty sealed the result for Pools.

Their next pre-season friendly puts them up against League One side Lincoln City this weekend at the Suit Direct Stadium.