Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin has branded Owen Stirton “a bit of a project” after handing the teen striker his debut aged just 16.
Stirton made his first senior appearance as a 64th minute substitute in Saturday’s SPFL Trust Trophy win over Dunfermline at Tannadice.
The teenager is still developing as a player.
But his manager has already seen enough to know the Dundee born prospect has the raw materials required for a career in the game.
“I’m really pleased for Owen,” says Goodwin.
“I’m led to believe he’s the first player to come through the Baldragon Academy [link], so great credit to the staff up there who’ve been working with him, for identifying him and developing him.
“Owen has worked hard to get the opportunity to come in full-time. He’s been training with the group now regularly for the last four-or-five weeks.
“We know what we need to do with him to get him to the next level.
“You can see he’s only a 16-year-old boy; he’s still got a lot of developing to do, physically.
“But he’s working hard with the sports science team and on the strength and conditioning side of things as well.
“Technically, I think he’s got fantastic attributes.
“To find number nines at 6’2”, mobile, really suited to today’s game [is rare], so he’s a bit of a project for us at the moment.
“But he got his debut through his effort and hard work in training – and it’s been warranted.”
Goodwin also had praise for Tony Watt in the aftermath of the weekend’s comfortable victory over the Pars.
Watt has been deployed in a deeper role, behind Louis Moult, so far this season.
Moult has profited from his own advanced position to the tune of four goals up to now, while Watt has yet to hit the target.
Nevertheless, Goodwin is impressed with the former Celtic kid’s approach to the slightly different job he’s been tasked with, along with shouldering the vice captaincy.
“Tony’s not really playing as a midfielder, although we’re asking him to do a job on the opposition’s deepest midfielder,” explained the United boss.
“We’re not asking him to play as a number eight or anything like that.
“We want him to play a little bit closer to Louis Moult when we have possession, but out of possession, Tony understands that he has to do a job for the team.
“We can’t afford to carry anyone, so everyone is working hard for the team and Tony’s no different to anybody else.
“He’s been different class in fairness to him. He’s taken everything on board that we’ve asked him to do.
“He’s getting fitter, he’s getting stronger and I thought he did well [against Dunfermline].”
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