PLAYER-MANAGER Andy Hessenthaler and striker Marlon King will not be leaving Gillingham despite reports linking them with moves to other clubs.

Hessenthaler has been linked by national newspapers with the vacant manager's post at West Ham while King has been connected to Nottingham Forest and Norwich in the past week.

But Hessenthaler has vowed his loyalty to the club and club chairman Paul Scally has slapped a 'hands-off' warning on King.

Hessenthaler said: "It's nice to be recognised for what I've been doing at Gillingham. It's nice to be linked with that because West Ham are obviously a very big club.

"But that's all it is - just rumour. I am concentrating on Gillingham and enjoying what I'm doing here and until the chairman tells me I'm not at Gillingham, I'll carry on working as hard as I can."

Hessenthaler should still have King to work with during the coming campaign after Scally told Norwich the £1 million-rated striker was not for sale.

Norwich manager Nigel Worthington has been desperately hunting a new forward after Zema Abbey was sidelined for the season with a serious knee injury.

Worthington said: "We made an approach to their chairman about Marlon King. No offer was made. It was just to see about his availability and to see what the situation was. Basically we were told that he's not for sale."