Dundee United boss Jackie McNamara has outlined the transfer deadline day thinking that saw two in and two out in loan deals.
Reading midfielder Aaron Kuhl was signed until January, and so too was Fulham’s Australian World Cup striker Adam Taggart.
Both players are currently with their national teams Kuhl England’s under-20s, and Taggart Australia’s full squad.
Robbie Muirhead has been farmed out to Partick Thistle until January and Henri Anier has gone to Hibs for the season.
The Kuhl signing is likely to be the one which will excite United fans most.
The highly-rated 19-year-old had previously been expected to make a switch to Real Mallorca, but that fell through.
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Kuhl, the under-21s captain at Reading, made his breakthrough at the Madejski Stadium last season under Nigel Adkins, making eight appearances during the opening couple of months of the campaign.
But he has yet to feature under Steve Clarke, with his last senior appearance coming back in October last year against Derby County.
Tangerines boss McNamara said: “He’s a strong lad and a great passer of the ball. He will bring a good presence and his experience of playing in the Championship will be important.
“He is someone who can add something to our squad and that is paramount when signing players at this time.
“Aaron is with the England under-20s squad currently, so we will decide if he is ready to go right into the first-team squad for the Kilmarnock game once he has trained next week.”
The departure of Anier was expected, but the same can’t be said of Muirhead’s.
Explaining the thought process behind letting him go to Firhill for a few months, McNamara said: “It is just a short-term loan to get him some game time.
“I feel with Billy McKay coming in, Ryan Dow back and Simon Murray we have different options there.
“We also have Mario Bilate coming back from injury. So, hopefully Robbie can go there, play and get some confidence on a short-term loan.
“It has worked for us in the past with Chris Erskine. Robbie just turned 19 in May and it was always a long-term thing with him. It wasn’t just a quick fix with players going out.
“It is to get him some games rather than just play a bit part or in the under-20s. I think it is crucial he gets more experience.
“We see him as a big, big player for us in the future. Hopefully, he will come back in January and kick on.”