New Huddersfield Town boss Danny Cowley says Sheffield Wednesday did not approach Lincoln City for his signature

The manager, who comes as a pair with his brother and assistant manager Nicky, had a £1 million release clause in his Imps contract and became bookies’ favourite to take the Hillsborough hotseat early last week.

Despite the speculation, 40-year-old Cowley denied an official approach had been made by the Owls. Garry Monk was unveiled as the Wednesday manager on Friday.

Asked to clarify the weight of Wednesday’s interest by Sheffield-based journalist Alan Biggs, he merely insisted that no contact had been made between the two clubs.

The Huddersfield move has raised eyebrows in some quarters after the pair reportedly rejected an initial approach from the West Yorkshire club amid the Wednesday rumours.

Speaking at his first press conference as Terriers boss, Cowley said: “There was lots of interest and lots of speculation, which I think is credit to Lincoln City and what we did there.

“There was lots of speculation in the summer, and there’s been a lot of speculation this time around. There was no contact from Sheffield Wednesday with Lincoln City.

“For us the decision, because of what we had at Lincoln City, it was never about anything else than finding the perfect opportunity.”

In an interesting twist of fate, the Cowleys’ first match will be against Sheffield Wednesday, when Monk will take to the Owls dugout for the first time.

Huddersfield were relegated from the Premier League last term and have suffered a horror start to the Championship season, locked in the relegation places having picked up only one point from their six outings.

Cowley said it was clashes like Sunday’s, to be played at the John Smiths Stadium, that encouraged him to take the job.

He said: “The safer option would have been staying at Lincoln, a club that we love and that we feel an unbelievable connection with.

“It would have been a lot easier to stay, but we’re not interested in making the easy decisions, we want to make the right decisions and we want to test ourselves.

“I want the feeling of living, of that moment. You’ve only got to look at the next game; Sheffield Wednesday. I want that moment when your back is against the wall and you’re facing adversity. That’s really living, that’s what I’m looking forward to.”