Barnsley have appointed Jose Morais as their new head coach, ending links to Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy.

East Anglian Daily Times: Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy, pictured with Norwich boss Daniel Farke in October, has yet to win an East Anglian Derby. Picture: FOCUS IMAGESIpswich Town manager Mick McCarthy, pictured with Norwich boss Daniel Farke in October, has yet to win an East Anglian Derby. Picture: FOCUS IMAGES (Image: �Focus Images Limited www.focus-images.co.uk +447814 482222)

The Blues boss was at one stage the odds-on favourite to succeed Paul Heckingbottam, who moved to Leeds, but drifted out behind other candidates before the appointment of Morais today.

The Portuguese has worked under Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho at Benfica, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Chelsea before working at Tunisian giants Espérance, Turkish club Antalyaspor and most recently AEK Athens in Greece. He will take charge of the Tykes for the first time against Burton on Tuesday night.

MORE: McCarthy discusses his links to the Barnsley job

When asked about the Barnsley job last week, McCarthy insisted there had been no contact while joking “If I’m looking tired, then I’m sorry because I’ve had a long journey back last night.

“No, nothing in it and I haven’t been contacted, no,” he said. “I was surprised yesterday morning when somebody came into my office and said, ‘oh, are you still here?’ I said ‘what are you on about?’

The lads were taking the Michael saying ‘gaffer, you’re still here?’ and I hadn’t seen it and they had to tell me what was going on.

“And my mates, of course, in Barnsley; I’ve been getting texts from them asking if they will be seeing me at Oakwell soon. I said ‘no... next season maybe’.

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“I don’t give that too much thought. I used to. When I was younger and had just started managing I thought it might be great but I don’t give it any thought at all.

“Honestly, I’m enjoying my life here, where I live and the job I do. I don’t give any other job any thought, whether it’s the Ireland job or somebody else throws my name in and I have to answer questions about it, which I can’t do anything about.

“I hope they get somebody and, whoever it is, they stay in the league. That’s what I hope.”