THERE is no prospect of Derek McInnes being targeted, as one of his predecessors as Aberdeen manager was 32 years ago last month, by Manchester United in the coming days as they search for a long-term replacement for Jose Mourinho.

The football landscape has changed beyond recognition since 1986 when Alex Ferguson, as he was known then, was lured to Old Trafford after winning 11 trophies during eight unforgettable seasons at Pittodrie, .

The days when one of the leading English clubs would look to a man in charge at a provincial outfit north of the border to fill a vacancy are, regardless of how impressively he has done, now in the past.

That is not to say, though, that McInnes won’t attract the attention of club chairmen and chief executives down south who have been impressed by his work over the past five and a half years during 2019.

If Aberdeen continue their upward trajectory in the second half of this campaign then there is every chance they will, as was the case twice in 2017 when first Sunderland and then Rangers came calling, be approached about the availability of the man responsible.

His side moved to within a point of Ladbrokes Premiership leaders Rangers, who had, at the time, played two games less, almost unnoticed on Tuesday evening with their 5-1 demolition of Dundee at home.

It was their seventh victory in nine league games, a run that has moved them from eighth to fourth place in the top flight table above St Johnstone, Livingston, Hibernian and Hearts.

The exploits of Steven Gerrard at Rangers and Steve Clarke at Kilmarnock have, with very good reason, attracted far more attention from supporters and the media in recent months than what McInnes has done at Aberdeen.

But the 47-year-old has worked away quietly and diligently to address the problems which were causing his men to struggle – not least their difficulties scoring goals – and has produced the desired results.

Considering that he has been without Mikey Devlin, the centre half who picked up a foot tendon injury on Scotland duty last month, and Gary Mackay-Steven, the winger who had been one of the form players in the country before he suffered a serious head injury in the Betfred Cup final at Hampden at the start of the month, the upturn in fortunes has been remarkable.

So has the impact that Sam Cosgrove, who has suddenly struck up a decent partnership up front with Stevie May in recent weeks, has made. The 22-year-old has netted just one goal in senior football when he arrived from Carlisle back in January. He did little in the following 10 months to justify his signing. But he has now been on target four times in his last three games.

McInnes, who had a difficult experience at Bristol City prior to joining Aberdeen, thought better of moving to Sunderland, who were beset by similar off-field problems, last year. Subsequent events have shown that to be a shrewd decision. Simon Grayson, who was appointed after he turned it down, and his replacement Chris Coleman were both sacked within the space of five months.

Rangers, the club he supported as a boy and spent five seasons at during his playing days, also failed to tempt him back to Ibrox around this time last year after a protracted and very public courtship.

But those spurned advances don’t necessarily mean that he would be averse to a move in future if the conditions were right. Remember, Ferguson turned down the chance to take over at Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves before he finally joined United.

Interesting times lie ahead for Aberdeen. There is every chance that if they maintain their present form they can finish runners-up in the Premiership for the fifth season running. The plans for the new training complex and stadium at Kingsford, too, are ambitious.

However, so is McInnes. He is settled at Aberdeen and has an excellent working relationship with their chairman and major shareholder Stewart Milne. But at just 47 he has many years, very possibly his best years, ahead of him in the dugout.

If an attractive opportunity came along he would take it.