Kevin: I need to keep my eye Jon the ball to win fight with Bilbao old boy for jersey
KEVIN HOLT insists the arrival of Jon Aurtenetxe at Dundee has inspired rather than scared him.
The Dark Blues pulled off a transfer coup when they landed the former Athletic Bilbao star.
Left-back Aurtenetxe played in the 2012 Europa League Final against Atletico Madrid and boasts an impressive CV.
But instead of being put off by having Aurtenetxe breathing down his neck, Holt is adamant it can take his own game to new heights.
The former Queen of the South full-back said: “Jon comes with a good pedigree and his background makes great reading.
“He is still learning English and settling in a wee bit but you can see he is a good player with a lot of ability.
“He also has that aura about him that he has been at a big club so it is great for Dundee to be able to bring players like that here.
“It is good to play alongside lads like that and learn from him in training sessions.
“The Spanish game is different to the one in Scotland so any tips I can get the better.
“I said when he first signed that competition is nothing to be scared of.
“If anything it drives you on and wherever you go there is always going to be competition.
“It keeps you on your toes and should drive you forward.”
Dundee face Hearts at Dens today and are targetting back-to-back wins at home after their Tayside derby triumph over St Johnstone.
But Holt knows it won’t be easy against a Hearts side revitalised by Craig Levein’s dugout return. He
said: “If you want to be successful you have to win as many of your home games as you can.
“So on the back of the Saints game where we played well we will look to carry that into what is another winnable game.
“However, Hearts are a good team. They were that under Ian Cathro as well but it didn’t seem to work out for him.
“Hearts now already seem more stable and the players appear to have gone back to basics a bit.
“I have seen highlights of their last couple of games and they seem to be defending well.
“They might not have been at their best for the full 90 minutes but are still getting results.
“They have some top players and are a good club so we will give them the respect they deserve.
“They finished in the top six last year and will come here in confident mood.
“But while we will have to be wary of them we are at home.
“We just have to look after ourselves and be confident enough to believe we can win.”
Neil McCann’s men are raring to go again after a hectic three-game spell last week.
And Holt reckons having no fixture this midweek will see them come flying out the traps when the Jambos roll up at Dens.
He added: “We didn’t play at our best last weekend. The Kilmarnock game was our third in a week and we were maybe a bit tired.
“However, with no midweek game this week we’ve had a chance to get our legs back.
“We are refreshed and looking forward to the Hearts match.”