‘They know how to do it’ Dundee boss wants to match United’s youth system success

Dundee boss Paul Hartley has spoken of his desire to bring through more quality youngsters at the club just like city rivals United have done.

The manager admitted financial pain in the past had resulted in the Dark Blues youth system being neglected.

That is something he is determined to rectify so Dundee can work to produce more young players of the calibre of teenage striker Craig Wighton.

Hartley said: “We need to try to get better young players through the system.

“We’re working hard and we understand we’re a little bit behind because of the administrations, which meant the youth system sort of went to pot.

“We look at our neighbours across the road and they know how to do it. They’re producing their own players and are making a lot of money out of their transfers. So we have to look at that.

“We’ve sort of stripped everything back and started again. But I want to try to bring young players through and we obviously have one just now in young Wighton.”

He added: “I think we’ve got some good young Scottish players. You only need to look at the summer and the two young lads at Dundee United (Ryan Gauld and Andy Robertson) who went to Sporting Lisbon and Hull City.”