Dundee boss Paul Hartley has revealed he is considering putting talented teenager Craig Wighton out on loan.
Wighton has lit up the Dark Blues’ first team at times with his skill and creativy but Hartley still believes he would benefit from a move.
With the newly-promoted Dens men having added real depth to their squad for the forthcoming Premiership season, the 17-year-old’s opportunities may be fewer in number in the top flight.
So Hartley is pondering a switch to a club that could give the rising star more time on the park. Wighton has been recovering from a bout of tonsilitis but has been back training this week.
Hartley said: “Craig might go out on loan to get him the game time he requires in the future. He is a fantastic talent and a special player but he’s still got to develop.
“We’ve got him on a strengthening programme to build him up and he’s on it with the rest of the younger players.
“I think it would do him the world of good to go out on loan,” the manager added.
“We have to be careful, though, and make sure we send him out to a club where he is going to play.”
Meanwhile, Dundee are taking a close look at Montrose youngster Declan Milne.
The 16-year-old striker has been invited to join the Dark Blues for full-time training.
Milne, who made the bench for the Gable Endies at the end of last season in between sitting his Highers at Bridge of Don Academy in Aberdeen, has been given the chance to copy the move made by Martin Boyle from Links Park to Dens in 2012.
Montrose boss George Shields said: “We played against Dundee in a bounce game and Declan caught their eye.
“They then asked for Declan to go and join them for training so they can see more of him and we agreed.
“We do not want to lose good players but if he was offered full-time football we could not stand in his way.
“Declan is probably too young to be in our first team on a regular basis squad, however I would expect him to flourish in a full-time, under-20 environment.”
Having helped Boyle and Aaron Taylor-Sinclair, who moved to Partick Thistle from Montrose and is now at Wigan, Shields said: “It is terrific that we are producing great young players at this club.”