SAMMY Lee was sensationally linked with the vacant Charlton manager's job today after Hull City boss, Peter Taylor, ruled himself out.

But Bolton Wanderers have dismissed speculation that their assistant manager is lined up to succeed Alan Curbishley at The Valley by insisting that they have not given Charlton permission to speak to Lee.

Reports claim the 46-year-old former Liverpool star, who is currently with the England squad at their World Cup training camp in Portugal, was preparing to fly to London for talks with The Addicks, who were left managerless by Curbishley's decision to take a break from football. Taylor, the England U21 coach, was interviewed earlier this week but last night announced he was staying at Hull.

Regarded as one of the most talented coaches in the English game, Lee has made no secret of his ambitions to manage in his own right. But this is the first time he has been linked with a top Premiership job.

He joined Wanderers last summer after Sam Allardyce's previous assistant, Phil Brown, left to manager Derby County, and soon established himself as a respected figure in the Reebok backroom team.

He was already on the England coaching staff, having been appointed by the Football Association in a full-time capacity in July, 2004. He has continued to work with Sven-Goran Eriksson in a part-time role.

Coming just weeks after Allardyce was short-listed to succeed Eriksson before Steve McClaren's appointment, Lee's link with Charlton is a further acknowledgment of the quality of the Wanderers management team.

Allardyce, who described missing out on the England job as "one of the biggest disappointments of my life", is currently on a break from his Reebok duties but is being tipped to return as determined as ever.

"He'll get over the disappointment and I'm sure he'll be fine," said Wanderers chief executive, Allan Duckworth.

"He said straight away that his priority now is to make sure Bolton Wanderers continues to progress and that will be his priority when he gets back."