Former St Johnstone boss Tommy Wright targets return to Scottish football
- Published
Tommy Wright guided his St Johnstone team to another top-six finish in his final season at McDiarmid Park
Scotland is Tommy Wright's "preferred destination" when he returns to football management after leaving St Johnstone in May.
The Northern Irishman ended his seven-year term in charge at McDiarmid Park having guided the Perth club to another top-six Premiership finish.
A deal with St Johnstone chairman Steve Brown means he will not join another club until "November, round that time".
"I enjoy Scottish football - there's never a dull moment," said Wright.
"Scotland would be my preferred choice because I know the league and the players.
"I could use all that experience to go to another league - that wouldn't be a problem - but I think, based on what I've done over the last seven years, that hopefully would give me the best opportunity of going back into football.
"I'm ready to get back into work. I've lost a lot of weight and I feel refreshed.
"But I have agreed with the chairman that I wouldn't go back in until later on."
Wright, 56, left St Johnstone with two years remaining on his contract. He had been assistant to Steve Lomas in 2011 and became manager two years later.
His finest moment was leading St Johnstone to their first Scottish Cup win, in 2014, but his time was notable for consistent top-six finishes and bringing European football to McDiarmid Park.
Wright had been touted as a replacement for Robbie Neilson at Dundee United but, speaking to BBC Scotland's Scottish Football Podcast, he said a move to Tannadice was never likely.
"I don't know if they spoke to my agent but I had no contact and it was a no-goer anyway simply because we had the arrangement with St Johnstone," he said, speaking from his home in Ballyclare.
Wright did, however, recently have an interview to become Northern Ireland manager, an arrangement not affected by the terms of what he describes as an "amicable" departure from St Johnstone.
"I came out with no regrets. I was pleased how the interview went," he said.
"Ian [Baraclough] has been working since January almost doing Michael's [O'Neill's] day-to-day part of the job so I think all the candidates thought Ian was going to be the favourite.
"Some things aren't meant to be."