Raith Rovers: John Potter reveals reason for David Healy's 'frustrating' U-turn and discusses Max Kucheriavyi loan link

Three weeks after sacking Ian Murray, the Rovers board were stunned when 45-year-old ex-Rangers striker Healy changed his mind about a switch to the Scottish Championship by instead agreeing to extend his contract with NIFL Premiership side Linfield.

“There was a lot of news earlier in the week about David Healy potentially coming in but it didn’t happen,” Potter told the Fife Free Press.

"It was frustrating when David changed his mind but it happens. It happens when you sign players as well.

"David was obviously coming from another country in terms of family and bringing them over.

"He had a lot to consider in terms of that and he decided to change his mind early on Monday morning.

"We can’t do anything about that.

"It can be a frustrating thing but I’m a firm believer in, if it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be.

"We want the person to want to be the manager of this club. I think it’s a brilliant job for the right person and if he decides that’s not for him then so be it.

"It’s better that we move on and get the right guy who wants to be here, and wants to come in and be a success at this club.

"The most important thing is that we get the right guy and if it takes a little bit longer than people want that’s fine. We’re bringing someone in for the long term of this club and hopefully we can do that pretty soon.

"We just go back to work and we continue to work through the people we are interested in speaking to and that’s just a continuous process until we get the one that we want and we get the one that wants to come here.

"And that’s just a process that we’re going through at the moment."

When asked if he expects that he and fellow interim assistant boss Colin Cameron will remain in charge for the game at home to Livingston this Saturday, Potter said: “I would think so, yes. We’ve planned that, we spoke to the staff yesterday morning and that’s what we’re planning on.

"If things change, things change. But at the moment we will do the work.

"It’s business as usual, the players have been great at a really good week’s training and we’ll be ready to go on Saturday.”

Potter was then asked if not having a permanent manager in place just now was adversely affecting Rovers’ dealings in the transfer market, with the summer window closing at 11pm tomorrow (Friday).

He added: “It doesn’t really affect us at all. The loan window which is a big window for clubs in the Championship is open for another month so that’s an important window for us.

"We’ve got targets that we like. We’ve got targets that we’ve been speaking to for a long time.

"We’ve still got scope to bring in players if we think they’re the right ones. But what we have got is a really, really strong squad here, I fully believe that.

"We have had a couple of wee injuries and niggles recently which brings the numbers down but the squad that we’ve got I’ve got full confidence in.

"If we’re going to bring players in they need to be different and improve the squad that we’ve got."

Addressing reports that Raith are interested in a loan move for St Johnstone star Max Kucheriavyi, a 22-year-old Ukranian midfielder, Potter said: "We know the player. We think he’s a good player but I think St Johnstone have put out three, four or five players that they’re keen to get loaned out so there’s nothing in that at the moment.”