Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou said substituting hot property Tawanda Maswanhise during Saturday's 4-0 win over Kilmarnock was "like telling your son it's time to go to bed".
The 23-year-old Zimbabwe forward scored his side's second goal in first-half stoppage time and looked frustrated to be withdrawn after an hour shortly after his side extended their lead further.
Having returned from the Africa Cup of Nations, Maswanhise has moved on to 16 goals for Well this season amid media speculation that his form is attracting interest from other clubs, including Celtic and Rangers.
"The transfer talk is mainly in the media, not in this building and not with him or his agent," Askou said.
"It's very easy to focus on what we need to do here. That's to make sure we're successful, that we improve and that he improves.
"He's doing really well. When I took him off, it was like telling your son it's time to go to bed. He wanted to play another half hour."
Including a goal in a 3-2 defeat by South Africa, Maswanhise has now scored in five straight games for country and club.
"I got a little smile when I told him that we were just looking after him," Askou added. "He's been to Afcon and not been rested much since he came back.
"We're getting into a spell now with a lot of games. We need to keep him fresh and sharp."
