Dundee United youngster Ali Coote used to play alongside Ryan Gauld and now he is using him as an inspiration.
Gauld moved from the Tangerines to Sportin Club in Portugal in the summer of 2014, while Coote made his debut for the Tannadice side last April 18 against Aberdeen as a 16-year-old.
United have obviously liked what they have seen of the midfielder because they recently handed him a new three-year contract that ties him to the club until May 2018.
Having taken that first step into the first team and then followed it up with appearances against Celtic and Dundee last season, Coote would love to make an impact this term and follow in the footsteps of Gauld and others.
“I am overwhelmed by the new contract but hopefully people will think it is well deserved,” said Coote.
“I would say I am ahead of schedule in my career now, having made my debut for United at just 16.
“It happened up at Pittodrie and I remember that day well.
“Not many people do that at such a young age in Scottish football.
“I remember speaking to Soapy (John Souttar) at the time because he had also made his debut for the club at Aberdeen as a 16-year-old.
“It was not that I had been told in advance, just that I had a gut feeling that I would get my chance.
“I don’t know why but everything just felt right, for instance my dad had made the trip for the game.
“It was a great experience for me and now I hope to kick on this season.”
Coote, who has represented Scotland at under-15, 16 and 17 levels, can see a clear route to success for a player like himself because it is one that has been well travelled by Gauld and a raft of others.
He said: “There have been boys who have stayed here to develop, some have moved on within Scotland and even gone abroad in the case of Gauldy.
“There has been a path to bigger things for them and that is a good thing for a club like United.
“It means young players want to come here in the first place and that’s a healthy thing.
“The way it works is that the club attracts young players and, having had them in the first team, they can continue to develop or maybe they are sold on.
“I played alongside Gauldy when I was younger and before he had broken into the United first team.
“Even then you could see the talent was there and that he was going to go on and do really well for himself.
“We all still stay in touch and hear how he is getting on.”