Jack Ross has lavished praise on ‘brave’ Dundee United teenager Mathew Cudjoe — and insists the waspish winger will have a big part to play for the Tangerines this term.
Cudjoe, 18, climbed from the bench against Livingston on Sunday and illuminated an otherwise dreary display from the hosts.
He produced several intrepid bursts forward, was progressive with his passing and unleashed a couple of ferocious drives which came close to restoring parity.
However, he was unable to stop the Lions from claiming a 1-0 win.
Having started United’s Premiership opener against Kilmarnock — before dropping out of the side for last Thursday’s Europa Conference League triumph over AZ Alkmaar — Cudjoe is evidently in the senior picture at Tannadice.
And Ross has no qualms about outlining his admiration for the ex-Bayern Munich trialist.
‘Spark’
“I toyed with bringing Mathew on at half-time to give us a spark,” explained Ross. “We then brought him on quite early in the second half.
“He has been good in pre-season and deserved to start against Kilmarnock. He would have been on the pitch in different circumstances last Thursday against AZ, but didn’t get on because of how the game panned out.
“For an 18-year-old, he’s in a good place — he’s a big part of my plans because I like him.
“He was unfortunate not to score against Livingston. He’s brave in how he takes the ball and I like how his first thought is always to go forward and score a goal.
“He’s also brave in the sense that he’s small in stature — but he takes the knocks, bumps and bruises, and keeps coming back for more.
“He will continue to start games and be involved in games for us this season.”
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