JOHN HUGHES has said he has “irons in every fire” as he attempts to bolster his squad this month and confirmed he is keen to extend the loan of Mark Connolly.

In what has been a busy week at East End, the Pars boss has brought in centre back Coll Donaldson on loan from Ross County, with Ross Graham returning to Dundee United, and Vytas Gašpuitis, who has returned to his native Lithuania, leaving the club.

Lewis Martin, who returned to the squad for the first time since March 2020 for Sunday’s derby at Raith Rovers, has penned a deal until the end of the season, while Lewis McCann has agreed a contract extension until May 2024.

Hughes, preparing his side for a vital match at bottom club Morton on Saturday, is keen to further add to his squad and hopes to keep Connolly from Dundee United for longer.

However, reports in Ireland have credited Dundalk with an interest in taking the 30-year-old back to his native country.

The Argus in Dundalk has suggested that the SSE Airtricity League side are keen on a move for Connolly, whose loan is due to run out this month, but is available for Dunfermline's trip to Cappielow and the home match with Hamilton Academical.

Speaking this week about Connolly, Hughes said: “He is another one who we are trying to knuckle down.

“He has been good for us. He is a warrior; he stands up to it, he is good about the boys and brings that experience.

“He demands off them (the players) on the training pitch, he has got a voice and it is a little frustrating that we cannot pin him down but, hopefully, we can do that this week.

“We are working on keeping him. He is still with us for another couple of games and hopefully by next week, I will have an answer.

“It is ongoing. We have our irons in every fire and it is, ‘Can we do it, is he coming or going? Are there clubs in for a few of my players?’ All that has to come together for it to happen.

“You are hopeful and optimistic but I’ve been in football long enough not to count your chickens before they hatch.

Hughes, meanwhile, has said he would readily recommend “proper professional” Gašpuitis to any interested manager, and that his departure was a mutual decision.

“I have never had a problem with big Vytas Gašpuitis and, if anybody phones me about him, I will put my name to him as a right-sided centre half,” he continued.

“When he wasn’t playing, you could see him dipping a little bit.

“We tried all that we can to try and pick him up. The final conversation with Vytas was that he needed to be playing football on a regular basis for his international future. I could not really guarantee him that so we did what was best for both parties.

“Having said that, I have had one or two clubs on the phone already and he is a proper professional. If we all conducted ourselves like him then we would be in a better place.

“We have to be creative and I’m quite sure that there might be one or two others, if I’m looking to bring players in, that might find themselves leaving that I don’t really want to leave or going out on loan just to generate cash to bring somebody else in.”