Mehdi Abeid made his mark at St Johnstone on loan from Newcastle, with supporters still fondly remembering his half-season in Perth a decade ago.
Steven MacLean was his team-mate back then.
And now that he’s the Saints manager, he’s hoping the latest loan recruit from St James’ Park, Jay Turner-Cooke, also earns himself fans’ favourite status.
“I remember Mehdi (who made 13 appearances in 2013) couldn’t get in the team at one point,” MacLean recalled.
“That was how well we were doing at that time.
Mehdi Abeid is, and always will be, the answer for me.
The Lomas side was one of the most entertaining to watch I can ever remember from a Saints side when it got going, and Abeid elevated things.
Had it all as a 10, and wasn't afraid to battle either. Perfection for me. pic.twitter.com/A1yOZeKWGv
— St Johnstone Analysis (@StAnalysis) October 8, 2022
“But he was an energetic midfielder, did really well and was good to play with.
“He ended up going to Panathinaikos so that showed you the pedigree he had.
“Hopefully Jay now comes in and does well too.
“He has played for Newcastle against teams like Villarreal.
“You don’t play for Eddie Howe’s team if you can’t run and don’t have good ability.”
In the Parkhead deep end
Turner-Cooke, Dara Costelloe and Luke Robinson are all in contention to jump straight in the deep end and make their St Johnstone debuts at Celtic Park on Saturday.
“They probably won’t have experienced anything like it,” said MacLean.
“When they come up they will look at the fixtures for Celtic, Rangers, Hibs, Hearts and Aberdeen.
“These are big games against big clubs and they are desperate to be involved.
“Their parent clubs will be looking to see if they can handle these situations.
“If they do well, it is a win-win. We can either sign them ourselves or they go back to their parent club having kicked on.”
Meanwhile, MacLean believes Kilmarnock beating Celtic last Sunday will make life tougher for Saints.
“We need to do really well and need them to have an off day,” he said.
“If I’m being honest, it is probably worse for us that they are coming off a defeat.
“Kilmarnock put in a great performance and their shape was excellent but it is a different game on the astroturf compared to playing at Celtic Park.”
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