Dundee United manager Jackie McNamara has extended his contract by a year.
The Tannadice boss was just over 12 months into a three-year deal, but the new package agreed with chairman Stephen Thompson commits him to Tannadice until May 2017.
Since arriving from Partick Thistle to take over from Peter Houston, McNamara has overseen the introduction of several exciting young players into the first team.
Three of those Ryan Gauld, John Souttar and Stuart Armstrong were named in the latest Scotland under-21 squad on Monday, while summer signing Andy Robertson has made it into Gordon Strachan’s senior group.
They have all signed improved deals over the last few months, as has Nadir Ciftci, and now McNamara has followed suit.
After a sticky couple of months in the league, United’s Friday night win over Motherwell sees them back in the race for a place in Europe, and a Scottish Cup quarter-final against Inverness Caledonian Thistle is looming large.
McNamara said: “I am enjoying the job more than ever. My relationship with the board of directors and the chairman is the strongest I have experienced in football and working with the quality players available to me at Dundee United makes the job enjoyable.
“The supporters are excellent and I continue to have a great relationship with them. Signing this extension is one of the easiest decisions I have made as manager.
“I am proud to be Dundee United’s manager and I see great potential at the club.
“We have made a lot of progress in the first year here but can achieve a lot more and my desire to take Dundee United to a higher level is my motivation each day.”
Thompson added: “I am delighted to announce Jackie has extended his stay at Dundee United.
“The board is excited by the job that Jackie has been doing and his desire to build strong foundations is in line with how we see the club progressing.
“His commitment to developing young players and giving them the chance to prove themselves on the park is creating positivity for the future and, importantly, entertaining the fans.
“Some of the football this season has been sensational and United supporters have shown hunger for his philosophy by buying half season tickets in record numbers and creating a positive atmosphere at Tannadice on match days.”