Gary Bowyer admits Finlay Robertson needed “rebuilding” after his career stalled at Dundee.
The midfielder made his first-team debut for the Dark Blues aged just 16 at the end of the 2018/19 season.
Robertson made 21 appearances in the next campaign but the following year his game time was limited with his season ending early because of injury.
Last year he was loaned out to Cove Rangers but he has struggled to get back into the Dundee team under new boss Bowyer.
However, the manager has held talks with the 20-year-old, spelling out exactly what he expects from him and Robertson has responded in the right way, coming off the bench on Saturday to score his first goal for the club against Airdrie in the Scottish Cup at Dens.
And Bowyer admitted he was delighted for him.
The manager, who has collected the Championship manager of the month award, said: “They were just football chats in terms of this is what we expect, this is what we demand.
“I have said it from the first minute I came in about Fin – it is like he needed rebuilding.
“He burst onto the scene into the first team at 16, had a loan that wasn’t successful and he lost his way a little bit.
“It can be difficult when you are a young player and I feel sorry for him to a degree.
“He was thrust into the first team, hailed as the next whoever and then finds himself out, which can be a lonely place.”
Bowyer added: “But he has to do his bit to get back in and in the last month or so he has been working even harder to do that.
“He is still very young but we haven’t sugar-coated anything with him.
“When you are 16, 17 or 18 and you are in the first team, everyone clings on and tells you how wonderful you are.
“But it is sort of like he has been left on his own so it was just a case of sitting him down and explaining to him what was needed and expected.
“Full credit to him because he is training in the right way, he got his goal on Saturday – his first for Dundee – and I was delighted for him.”
Robertson’s contract is up at the end of this season and Bowyer admitted the midfielder has to show he deserves another.
The manager added: “He falls into that bracket of a younger one the club are negotiating with.
“But you have to earn these deals and that was part of the conversation.”
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