Dundee fear no one says Malachi Boateng as the Dark Blues plot a way to three points against Hearts on Sunday.
The young central midfielder has made a real impact in his short time in Scottish football, impressing for Queen’s Park last season in the Championship and now taking on the top flight.
Before joining the Dark Blues, Boateng had been taking the field with the likes of Odsonne Edouard, Jordan Ayew, Marc Guehi and Will Hughes in the summer.
And he’s continued to show his fearless nature in the Premiership, playing 90 minutes in Dundee’s last five matches.
“The step up has been good – I feel it’s the level I’m ready for,” Boateng said.
“That’s why I made the move here and I’m glad the gaffer has shown faith in me.
“The biggest difference I’ve seen is the tempo is a bit sharper.
“The Championship is good but in the top division it’s a touch sharper. I think I can cope with that.
“That’s the main difference but I enjoy that kind of challenge.
“It’s the main reason I came here, I just want to showcase my skills.”
‘Bagful of quality’
He’s also joined a team he feels can start to showcase the ability to pick up points in the Premiership.
One that pipped his Queen’s Park side to the Championship title on a dramatic final day.
The Dark Blues take on Hearts tomorrow after picking up one point from their opening two games against Motherwell and St Mirren.
And Boateng feels it’s only a matter of time before they add to that.
“There is a bagful of quality in our dressing-room,” he added.
“That’s why I’ve felt so confident going into this season because we’ve got good players who can produce.
“We don’t fear anyone and that’s a good mentality to have.
“We have a mixture of players who have played at this level and players who are young and coming through.
“That marries well with doing well in the Premiership.
“We need to showcase that and be confident we can beat teams.”
‘Ready’
Dundee have had two weeks to figure out how they can beat Hearts this weekend.
But Boateng says the focus hasn’t been on stopping the opposition dangermen.
Rather, how the Dark Blues can impose themselves on the game.
“We’ve been focusing on ourselves, to be honest,” he added.
“We do look at the opposition and know how tough Hearts will be.
“We show them respect but we’re really concentrating on what we can do to hurt them.
“Let’s play our game and try to get some points on the board.
“We’re ready for Sunday.”
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