If there is a better central defender in Scotland than Kerr Smith at the tender age of just 16 then Micky Mellon will be a happy man.
For, the Dundee United manager argues, that would mean the country is blessed with a “brilliant” up-and-coming defender.
The truth is, the Tangerines already have the top Scots talent in his age group in the shape of Smith, who just signed his first professional contract with the club that ties him to Tannadice until the summer of 2023.
He has already caught the eye of English giants Manchester United, Liverpool, Everton and Aston Villa.
Indeed, he could have opted for a move south but instead chose to stay in order to develop under Mellon’s management.
That will prove to be a sound investment for United as Smith is a sought-after young man, who was first involved in the first team at just 15 when he faced English Premier League opposition in the abandoned friendly against Sheffield United then was named on the bench for the recent league clash with Rangers.
Mellon thinks they have won a watch by securing Smith on his new deal earlier this month and hinted at game time for the youngster in the senior side in the near future.
Level-headed
The United boss said: “Potential is only something that has to be realised but, standing where he is at the minute, I can quite happily and honestly say that if there’s a better centre-back who has just turned 16 in Scotland then I would be absolutely delighted as a Scotland fan.
“For that would mean that we, as a country, have produced an absolutely brilliant centre-back.
“Kerr has been training with us every day since he was 15 and most of England’s top end Premiership teams wanted to sign him.
“But he’s a very level-headed lad with a very level-headed family so, after discussions with his family and then I spoke to him and his dad, I was delighted he felt this is the right place to take him to the next stage of what promises to be a very exciting career for the boy.
“There is obviously a lot of work still to be done but…he’s a real talent.
“It’s a testament to the football club that he sees this as the place to develop his career.
“It’s all about mentality now,” added Mellon.
“It’s about dedication, being relentless and hard work – all the things you hear trotted out all the time.
“Now he’s going to have to deliver on them, keep coming in, pushing on, show belief and want to learn.
“He’s got to attack every challenge that comes his way and want to overcome them.
“Hopefully we can put as many challenges in front of him as possible and can help him keep improving.”
First team challenge
With that in mind, Kerr has been in among the senior squad for some time, training and getting a sense of what it means to be a top-flight player.
The Tannadice gaffer added: “We felt even at 15 Kerr needed to come into the first team environment to be challenged.
“He had to be asked questions in training from Lawrence Shankland and Nicky Clark, have demands put on him by Calum Butcher for example.
“He has taken it all in his stride and is such a level-headed boy.
“I don’t want people to get carried away because he’s still got a lot of development to do but we’re delighted a boy who pretty much everyone wanted is staying here.
“He’s one of a number of terrific talents we have here and there are a lot of them at the stage now where it’s at a tipping point and they need to play.
“So I might be at the stage where I have to start introducing them because they are so talented.
“And that’s great for the health of the football club that we have all these young boys driving on and the first-team boys looking over their shoulders.”