Former Manchester City youth midfielder Wato Kuate could go straight into the Dundee United squad for tonight’s clash with Ayr United after signing a short-term deal.
The 21-year-old earned his contract through to the end of the season after impressing in a trial spell, which included game-time in the development league and Sean Dillon’s testimonial.
And now he’ll have the chance to prove he’s worth keeping beyond the summer.
“We’ve signed him to the end of the season,” said manager Ray McKinnon.
“He’s only 21. He’s got something there. There’s a raw ability and we’ll see how he does between now and the end of the season.
“It’s a chance for him to impress and get a permanent deal. He’s strong, can keep the ball and is motivated.
“He trains with us every day and doesn’t look out of place so he’s probably ready for a spot on the bench.”
Saturday’s cup final win has had the morale boost you would expect and it was no chore for the players to report back for training the following morning, according to McKinnon.
He said: “They’re good professionals – people like Willo Flood and Tony Andreu. It wasn’t a problem telling them to be back in for training the next day. We’ll be properly prepared for Tuesday night.
“There was a real happiness about the camp on Sunday. They trained very well and that was the case again today.
“Hopefully the message has sunk in that we need to get back to playing football.”
Thomas Mikkelsen was United’s match winner at the weekend and gave a reminder of the sort of service he gets goals from.
“He scored similar goals to that against Raith,” said McKinnon. “We don’t have that out and out winger type delivering crosses all the time, which has made things a bit more difficult. That’s what he thrives on.
“He’s been in and out the team.
“He’s a super lad and it was great for him to score the winner.
“He gets that the way we play, Tony Andreu is going to play more often than not. But he also realises that there will be occasions when we play with two up front.”
Ayr are also coming into tonight’s match on the back of a weekend win (over fellow relegation contenders Dumbarton).
“This is a tough league,” said McKinnon.
“Ayr have got experience in their squad. Again, it will be another hard match. They’re a tidy team and have threats. They’re obviously fighting to stay in the league.”
