Dundee Utd, be pressure

It came when Ray McKinnon’s team performed superbly to battle back from a goal down in the play-off semi-final second leg to win.

That night in May was another reminder to him where United should be.

“The play-off game was nice to be in. I think it is the best game so far in my time at Dundee United.

“There was a big support, the fans were behind the team and, when Paul Dixon got the goal to get us through to the final, it was a great moment, one when we were all together.

“It was great and, hopefully, we can go there and make the same feeling. But we must realise that is gone, it is in the past.

“You can’t dwell on it too much. It is a different season, different players and a different situation.”

It is, he insists, a team that has the quality to live up to that expectation he talked about and he accepts now is the right time to go out and show that.

“Every day we are together on that training field it is crystal clear how much quality there is in the squad. But there is nothing like a game and that is where you have to show it.

“The pressure of the game is when it is hardest to show you are good. I have every faith as players we can do that.

“I do think, with the amount of changes we have made in the summer, it is still sort of a new team, so it can take time. But it will come.”

El Bakhtaoui during the Betfred Cup tie at Dens — expects his side to go into every game with a winning mentality.