James McPake has spoken of his delight at Dunfermline giving new signing Dapo Mebude a platform to prove he is a ‘right talent’.
The Pars finally got a season-long deal for Mebude over the line on Wednesday after paperwork problems delayed an agreement originally struck last week.
Having been denied a possible debut against Queen’s Park last weekend, the 23-year-old is now poised to make his bow on Saturday in the clash away to Airdrie.
And McPake has hailed the qualities that he is convinced the former Rangers striker will add to his East End Park squad.
“I am looking forward to working with him,” said McPake. “He’s a player I can remember back in youth teams and obviously from following his career.
“He has had a tough time recently but he is looking really good and if we get him right and get him going then he’s a right talent.
“He is certainly different from the other strikers that we’ve got – in a good way.
“He’s different with the qualities he’s got and obviously other players have got their own qualities.
‘Clever’
“But it’s just that he is very dynamic, very strong, clever, and to be fair to him he’s played a fair bit of football as well for a younger one.”
Mebude has not played competitively this year, however, after being involved in a freak car crash back in January whilst playing in Belgium.
The one-time Watford marksman needed emergency surgery and was in a coma before making a full recovery.
He was then left searching for a new club after his Belgian employers, Oostende, went out of business in the summer.
“For what he’s been through,” added McPake, “to come back and and get himself going again, just in normal everyday life, which he has done (is great).
“And then to get in and show that he’s fit, ready to train every day and play.
“It shows that he’s recovered from that situation and I look at the quality of him as a footballer. I’m not qualified to touch on how his mental strength is – but he’s a good player.”
Meanwhile, Tobi Oluwayemi has trained following a thigh problem ahead of the trip to Airdrie, but Kyle Benedictus and Kieran Ngwenya remain sidelined with injuries.
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