OXFORD United have confirmed an approach from Blackpool to speak to head coach Karl Robinson has been rejected.

Owner Sumrith 'Tiger' Thanakarnjanasuth said interest was inevitable given United's form, but sought to clarify why Robinson had not been informed.

Blackpool, who are 14th in Sky Bet League One, have a vacancy after sacking Simon Grayson earlier this month.

When asked about the rejected approach last night, Robinson claimed he was unaware of any developments and planned to speak with Tiger to gain some clarity.

In a statement, the U's chairman said the approach had come before the game with Accrington Stanley, but Robinson had not been informed so as not to distract him.

He said: "Karl is a central part of what we are building and I hope will be here for many years to come.

“To set the record straight, we spoke to Blackpool yesterday before the game but I didn’t want to disturb Karl’s pre-match routine.

"It was unfortunate that rumours started coming out just before kick off, but I rang immediately after the game although Karl was very busy as usual, and by that stage it was 5am in Bangkok and even I need a little sleep sometimes!

“We talked this morning, and we talked a lot about last night’s game, an important win, and then about our plans for the rest of the season."