Hartlepool United boss Kevin Phillips warns Pools will need to be patient in the transfer market this summer

Moore, who masterminded the so-called Great Escape back in 2015, returned to Pools in a scouting role at the beginning of the month.

With the National League season now over and conversations well underway regarding the future of the current squad, Pools can switch their focus onto what promises to be a busy summer.

Phillips has often spoken of his desire to rebuild his squad, and said last week he's targeting "six or seven" permanent signings as he looks to curate a side capable of pushing for promotion next season.

Phillips, who led South Shields to promotion after an overhaul in his first summer at the club, worked with Pools head of football Joe Monks to good effect at the Mariners.

The pair, who can also count on the experience of assistant Lennie Lawrence, will work with the hugely popular Moore as they bid to build a competitive squad ahead of next term.

And while Phillips hasn't met Moore, he's confident the former Rotherham and Tranmere boss will be a huge help as Pools bid to get their transfer business off to a positive start.

"I haven't spoken to Ronnie yet," he said.

"I know he's been watching games, and him and Joe (Monks) are in regular dialogue.

"There's a lot of work going on in the background, our analyst is doing reports on players daily.

"Joe knows the types of players and the positions I want and then that gets fed to Ronnie.

"I went and looked at a player the other night, so I'm getting out and about when I can.

"It won’t be one of those where eight or nine players rock up in the first week, that's not going to happen.

"We need to be patient. We can't get frustrated, in this league it depends what market we're shopping in.

"There's some big hitters in the league, with big budgets, so we might lose out on players when we think we might have had them.

"Another club, like an Oldham, might come in and offer more than we can, so we can't get disappointed when we lose our targets.

"We have to keep working. One thing's for sure, we'll be trying our hardest to bring in the best possible players we can."