Dundee United have their manager in place.
Now, attention will swiftly turn to the transfer market.
Jack Ross has regularly relied on familiarity in his management career, snapping up players who have previously served him in stellar fashion.
The likes of Lewis Morgan, Paul McGinn, Kyle Magennis and Marc McNulty fall into that category.
Should Ross decide to follow a similar path at Tannadice, there are no shortage of intriguing options for the ex-Hibernian gaffer.
1 – Christian Doidge
Although Doidge was signed for Hibs by Paul Heckingbottom in the summer of 2019, Ross was the man who got the best out of him.
The towering Welshman had rippled the net just five times prior to Ross’ arrival.
He would subsequently notch 14 goals in the 2019/20 campaign after Ross’ appointment, thriving as the focal point in the Hibs attack; showcasing physicality, work rate and a clinical streak.
Christian Doidge doubles @HibernianFC 's lead, but it's a controversial one! 😱
A fantastic move has Hibs on course for the final at the moment, but the replay shows the flag should have gone up for offside 😬#ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/kj8z6C4Zhd
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) May 8, 2021
Doidge scored 15 times in the next two seasons, albeit a huge swathe of last term was wiped out by a serious Achilles injury.
It remains to be seen whether Doidge will be part the plans at Easter Road under new boss Lee Johnson. If he is deemed surplus to requirements — and, crucially, has regained full fitness — then he could fit the bill for United.
The Tangerines have been crying out for a traditional ‘No.9’ for some time, with Max Biamou flopping in that role last term.
2 – Danny Mullen
Wicked whispers regarding a United interest in ex-Dundee attacker Mullen have been doing the rounds in the City of Discovery for a couple of months.
At this point, they remain just that: rumours.
However, Ross’ appointment will do nothing to cease tongues wagging.
Mullen, now a free agent, enjoyed a successful stint at St Mirren under the new Tannadice gaffer, scoring eight goals in 37 games as the Buddies roared to the 2017/18 Championship title.
He found the net 15 times in two seasons at Dens Park, albeit his energy and tenacity in the final third proved a valued commodity.
3 – Alex Gogic
Ross brought the Cypriot internationalist to Easter Road in the summer of 2020 in a bid to add combativeness to the Hibees midfield.
There is little doubt he achieved that over 42 appearances for the Hibees, albeit he latterly fell somewhat out of favour.
He was loaned to St Mirren in January and the Buddies are reportedly keen to make that deal permanent.
🚨 It's Goal of the Season time, sponsored by @marcdarcysuits 👔
This is always a hotly-contested category!
And the winner is… Alex Gogic 🆚 Kilmarnock 🔥
The celebration arguably deserves an award, too… 👍 pic.twitter.com/qqNfurOgWd
— Hibernian Football Club (@HibernianFC) May 29, 2021
However, with Calum Butcher seemingly unlikely to feature for United moving forward, that leaves a gap for an engine room destroyer which desperately needs plugged; a role Gogic has proved he can fulfil.
4 – Jamie McCart
Ross’ stint working with the ex-St Johnstone ace was fleeting, amounting to three appearances on loan at St Mirren in 2017.
Nevertheless, he made a sufficiently good impression for Ross to make McCart a primary target during the transfer window last summer.
A deal could not be struck with Hibs and the McDiarmid Park double-winner saw out the remainder of his contract in Perth.
With United requiring reinforcements in wide areas, central midfield and attack, centre-half would seem a low priority due to Charlie Mulgrew, Ross Graham and Ryan Edwards already being on the books.
But following Lewis Neilson’s move to Hearts, another defender is likely to be required.
5 – Marc McNulty
McNulty, 29, has already been signed twice by Jack Ross, for Sunderland and Hibs.
‘Sparky’ joined the Black Cats in the summer of 2019 and rippled the net four times in nine games before Ross was dismissed on October 8, abruptly ending their partnership.
⌛️ 𝟗𝟎+𝟔…
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 🧡@SparkyMcNulty | #UnitedTogether pic.twitter.com/WgGKJ0ehCb
— Dundee United FC (@dundeeunitedfc) March 19, 2022
However, they were reunited at Easter Road when the Scotland striker arrived on loan from Reading in January 2020.
McNulty scored four times in eight appearances before the campaign was curtailed due to Covid.
Now a free agent after leaving Reading, McNulty is solely focused on recovering from a serious knee injury.
But given his popularity in the United dressing room and rapport with Ross, it would not be a surprise to see interest rekindled.
6 – Paul McGinn
With Kieran Freeman and Liam Smith — the latter a former St Mirren star under Ross — already part of the United squad, recruiting a right-sided defender doesn’t seem likely.
However, it is impossible to ignore the fact that Paul McGinn has been one of Ross’ most trusted lieutenants.
Remarkably, he has worked with McGinn at Dumbarton, St Mirren and Hibs, helping the experienced stopper earn his maiden Scotland cap against Austria in September 2021.
The 31-year-old, who spent two campaigns on the books of Dundee, is reportedly surplus to requirements in the capital.
7 – Kyle Magennis
Ross remains a huge admirer of the Hibs midfielder.
The capital club shelled out a six-figure fee and handed the Scotland under-21 internationalist a five-year contract back in 2020.
A persistent hip injury wiped out the majority of his 2021/22 campaign despite a heartening start to the season (four goals in 13 appearances).
Given the glimpses of quality shown by Magennis, there is every chance he could emerge as a pivotal player for the Hibees this term.
But, if there is any indication that Magennis could be made available in order for Johnson to put his own stamp on the squad, there can be little doubt Ross would take notice.
8 – Scott Allan
No player claimed more Premiership assists for Hibs during Ross’ time in charge than Allan, with the former Tannadice playmaker teeing up 11 goals.
The season may only be two games old, but we may not see a better pass all season than this one from Hibs' Scott Allan.
Report & full highlights: https://t.co/66LutYsRGo pic.twitter.com/PGpN9WooUH
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) August 12, 2019
And the 30-year-old is available on a free transfer after leaving Hibs earlier this summer.
Although the mercurial playmaker is managing a well-documented heart condition — hypertrophic cardiomyopathy — he made 23 appearance last term and even found the net against United in a 3-1 Premier Sports Cup win.
Indeed, speaking in 2021, Allan emphasised that he felt ‘physically, the best I’ve felt throughout my whole career’ and asserted that he had ‘the best years ahead of me’.
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