Dundee’s latest goalscorer Derick Osei is “only going to get better” for the Dark Blues after opening his account for the club.
That’s according to manager Gary Bowyer after admitting the former France U/20 international needs time to get up to match fitness.
Osei became the Dens gaffer’s second permanent signing after putting pen to paper on a short-term deal last month.
The former Oxford and Wimbledon man wasn’t able to deliver in his first two appearances but came up with the goods when his team needed it at Queen’s Park on Friday night.
With Dundee trailing 2-1 in the closing stages, Osei was in the right place at the right time to turn home a deflected Jordan McGhee effort.
“The goal will do him good but I thought he was a real handful before the goal, too,” Bowyer said of his new signing.
“The size of him, the pace he has…
“And he’s only going to get better for us when he gets his fitness up.
“It’s difficult signing someone after the transfer window has shut.
“He’s playing catch-up during games.
“We’ll keep pushing him but we’ll have to be careful we don’t push too hard and break him.
“He really deserved the goal and that will give him a massive boost.”
Goal record
Upon signing, questions were raised over the striker’s goal record with no league goal netted since his arrival in British football over two years ago.
In fact, the strike against Queen’s Park was his first league goal at a level above the French fifth tier.
Osei did score three times for Oxford United in the EFL Trophy and impressed enough in youth football to feature in a national squad alongside Kylian Mbappe and Odsonne Edouard.
Bowyer, though, isn’t bothered by previous records – he’s looking forward to seeing what the player can offer going forward.
“I’ve worked with strikers before who didn’t have a good goal record so I don’t take too much notice of that,” the Dundee boss added.
“I had Kyle Vassell at Blackpool who didn’t have a good scoring record but then went on to score double figures two seasons in a row.
“And he got a move from League Two to the Championship.
“I know some people get het up about that kind of thing.
“But if he keeps getting into the right areas then it will come.
“I’ve also seen strikers with a good goal record move clubs and stop scoring, then everyone wonders why the goals have dried up.
“The goal, though, will have done him the world of good.”
Conversation