Alex Harris has admitted that the example shown by Aberdeen’s Peter Pawlett is an inspiration to him as he continues his loan spell at Dundee.
The Dons player is now an integral part of Derek McInnes’s side but back in 2012 he was farmed out to St Johnstone in a bid to get him regular game time.
He hasn’t looked back since and has already made 30 appearances for Aberdeen already this season.
Harris, who was once compared to Arsenal and England star Theo Walcott by former Hibs boss Terry Butcher, joined Dundee at the start of last month with Martin Boyle going the other way to Easter Road.
And the winger is hoping his time at Dens will boost his career in the same way Pawlett’s Saints stint did for him.
He said: “Pawlett has been flying since he went back to Aberdeen.
“I think he is a really good player and is making big strides in his career so far.
“His example is certainly one that inspires me.
“This is my first time away from Hibs.
“I was a bit nervous about coming to Dundee as I had never been away from the club before.
“But it has been great since I arrived.
“The lads and the manager have made me feel really welcome.
“The change of scenery may have helped me along with more game time.
“So I have been really enjoying it.”
Harris inspired Dundee to a 1-0 success over struggling Motherwell at Fir Park on Saturday and Dark Blues boss Paul Hartley has been delighted with his progress so far.
“I was pleased for young Harris and he caused Motherwell a lot of problems,” Hartley commented.
“I think just playing football will give him confidence and his confidence is getting better and better with each game.
“He’s a terrific kid.
“He had a difficult spell for about a year, through injury and then loss of form, but I told him to just come here and play, go and enjoy your football.
“I asked him to go and show us what he can do, and I think he’s getting better every week.”
Harris’ form since his loan move to Dens Park has prompted some to suggest that Dundee would do well to make the switch permanent, although Hartley is well aware of the current situation.
He added: “We will see what happens at the end of the season.
“He has done really well but there is still a lot more to come from him.
“We have been impressed with what we have seen so far but he is still a Hibs player and is under contract to 2016.”
Meanwhile, Hartley hopes former club Celtic can continue to fly the Scottish flag in Europe when they travel to the San Siro for Europa League action tomorrow night.
Hartley was part of the Celtic side that played against AC Milan there in the Champions League in 2007 and reckons there are few bigger stages on which to perform as Celtic try to build on their 3-3 draw from the first leg.
“I think they’ve got a good chance,” he continued.
“Having been at the game on Thursday night, I think it was an absolutely terrific game of football, end-to-end, both teams going at it, both teams attacking.
“I think you saw that Celtic can definitely score and Inter Milan do concede, but it’s at the other end also for Celtic that they might concede.
“They only need to win the game 1-0 and they are through.
“It sounds simple doesn’t it?
“But it’s a terrific arena to play in. It’s absolutely brilliant.
“It’s one of the stadiums you always dream of playing in.
“The San Siro is world famous, there should be a full house with a big travelling Celtic support, and it’s a fantastic arena to play your football in.
“Having experienced that with Scotland and with Celtic against Milan, it’s definitely one of my favourite stadiums I’ve ever played in.”