These guys are my type of defenders

WHEN he hears central defensive partners Mark Durnan and Coll Donaldson had a tough first seasons as Dundee United players, William Edjenguele looks bemused.

And it’s clear the big Frenchman isn’t too interested in learning about what went wrong last term. He’s just happy to be playing beside two young defenders who play his position exactly the way it should be.

The 29-year-old has been a rock in the Tangerines defence since signing up at the end of August but he is quick to credit the men who’ve been beside him in the line-up.

“I wasn’t here last season, so I don’t know what happened because I didn’t see any games, but these are not the players I see now,” said the former Coventry City man.

“Mark is a very strong and aggressive defender and, when he has been in the team, Coll Donaldson is the same. They are good defenders, the kind I like.

“I think you have to remember they are both young players and maybe there was expectation but in the team this season they have been very good.

“I think we played a decent game against Falkirk and Coll was part of that. When he came in the week before he was magnificent, so we must play well to stay in the team.”

So long as Durnan, or whoever is beside him, maintains an attitude of defending first and asking questions later, Edjenguele will remain a fan.

When he arrived at Tannadice, one of his first statements was that he was a player who loved defending. Others can do the attacking and grab the headlines, he’s happy to make sure he keeps the ball out of his team’s net.

It’s why he admits that while he was delighted when Durnan surged forward to grab United’s late winner against Falkirk on Saturday, he was even happier in his own box a few minutes later.

“I was very pleased for Mark and the team when he got our goal. When he ran up the pitch I wondered where he was going but maybe it was going