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Liverpool and Southampton gave Oludare Olufunwa ideal grounding – now St Johnstone defender is ready for men’s football

The 22-year-old dealt with the speed of Alan Forrest in his debut last weekend.

St Johnstone defender Dare Olufunwa.
St Johnstone defender Dare Olufunwa. Image: SNS.

Oldedare Olufunwa enjoyed the best football education a young player could wish for.

And St Johnstone’s new defender put down an early marker that he’s ready to make a name for himself in the man’s game.

The 22-year-old progressed through the age groups at the renowned Southampton academy.

Then he got a year rubbing shoulders with Liverpool’s world class players.

Many a highly-rated youth star has found the last step in professional football the hardest.

But the manner in which Olufunwa, known as ‘Dare’, dealt with an experienced pro like Alan Forrest in his first senior game in unfamiliar surroundings bodes well for a successful time in Perth.

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” he said. “But I watched footage of Alan Forrest so had an idea he would try to get down the side.

“He tried it early on but I was ready for it and got ahead of him, so after that he knew he wouldn’t get away with it.

“It’s a different test playing first-team football.

St Johnstone's Dare Olufunwa in action against Hearts.
St Johnstone’s Dare Olufunwa in action against Hearts. Image: SNS.

“At Liverpool in the games we played, we took it seriously and you are under pressure every week.

“Liverpool are really good with integrating all the academy players. Everyone gets to go up and train with the first team – they use you a lot.

“We trained together quite regularly and it was a good experience.

“It was proper fast. The speed these guys play at is too quick to comprehend at times but being tested like that can only make you better.

“Now, when it’s men you’re playing against it’s a different kind of challenge.”

Olufunwa made to feel wanted by St Johnstone

Olufunwa was an early target of Steven MacLean’s this summer and the Saints manager’s persistence was a key factor in persuading him to move north.

“Everyone has been welcoming,” he said. “The gaffer, the staff and the players. So it has been easy to settle in.

“I was training with Burton in the summer but knew about the interest here for a while.

“The manager had tried to get me at the start of the summer – which was great for me to know – but it took a while to get the deal over the line.

“There were a few complications and I had a few other options but I looked at it and thought this was the best place for me to come.”

There will be a couple of familiar faces in the County team.

“I played with Josh Sims at Southampton so it will be good to see him at the weekend,” said Olufunwa.

“We didn’t play together that much because he’s a bit older than me but I know him well.

“He’s direct and fast, so we’ll have to watch him.

“Yan Dhanda was away from Liverpool before I got there but he’s someone I knew about growing up because he was always being mentioned.

“I played against him one pre-season for Southampton when he was at Swansea.

“He’s a good player and we’ll have to look to handle him as well.

“All the boys are desperate to get the first result on the board.

“We don’t see anything as an excuse, whether it’s the injuries we have or the fact we’ve got players just coming in the door and straight into games.

“We are putting that pressure on ourselves to win the game and we’re looking for three points on Saturday.”

Dare Olufunwa for two positions

Olufunwa’s versatility will be important to MacLean this season and the defender is in no rush to be categorised in one role.

“I am still fairly young so you don’t want to be narrowed down to one position,” he said.

“I’ve played the majority of my career so far at centre-back and that’s where I am more comfortable.

“But at Southampton I played a season at right wing-back then moved to centre-back there.

“At Liverpool I was mainly a centre-back but had a few games at right-back, so it’s somewhere I can play and it doesn’t hurt to have that versatility.

“I want to play as many games as I can so if Sam (McClelland) and Gordy (Liam Gordon) are playing well and I have to be at right-back then I’m happy with that.”

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