Ross County manager Stuart Kettlewell insists Ronan Hale’s absence from Friday’s 2-0 league win over Partick Thistle was nothing to do with transfer speculation surrounding his future – but rather the Northern Ireland international was ill.

Hale has been linked with a move away from the Scottish Championship club this month with reports suggesting League Two outfit Gillingham had a five-figure offer rejected while Wigan Athletic, Stevenage and Salford City are also admirers.

The 27-year-old, who joined County from Cliftonville in 2024, scored 14 league goals in his maiden Scottish Premiership campaign last term but his exploits couldn’t stop the Staggies suffering relegation.

Hale has continued to impress in Scotland’s second-tier, netting seven times in 18 league appearances for a Ross County side sitting bottom of the table and facing the prospect of consecutive drops.

placeholder image — Northern Ireland's Ronan Hale is a wanted man this month. (Photo by David Maginnis/Pacemaker Press)

His absence from the matchday squad for Friday’s fixture led to speculation Hale could be nearing the exit door, but Kettlewell insists that isn’t the case and revealed he was scheduled to start before reporting his illness.

“There’s a virus going about, and Ryan Duncan came off because he’s ill,” Kettlewell told the Ross-shire Journal. “Fair play, he’s put himself out there even though he was sick at half time.

“Declan Gallagher and Alex Iacovitti has had it over the last couple of weeks, and Ronan reported it this morning when he was in the starting line-up so we had to adjust our team, but the guys who came in came up trumps for us.”

Hale would likely be targeting a move to at least League One level to increase his chances of earning a recall to Northern Ireland’s squad ahead of their World Cup semi-final play-off against Italy in March.

The former Larne ace made his international debut in June after switching allegiance from the Republic of Ireland and was an unused substitute in Northern Ireland’s opening two qualifying games.

However, Hale missed out on selection across the next two windows with the likes of Jamie Reid, Dion Charles and Josh Magennis preferred.

“For Ronan, it’s a massive jump from the Scottish Championship to this level of football,” said Michael O’Neill in October. “I think the other strikers are ahead of those two strikers (Hale and Dale Taylor) at this minute in time.

“We’ve had Ronan in since March. There was the protracted eligibility thing that took time.

“I was disappointed for him that he didn’t get a move in the summer. I certainly think that would have helped him. He knew that himself but, look, we continue to watch him.”