McMullan key player in Neilson rebuilding

Tangerines boss keen to see former Celtic youngster commit future to Tannadice

Dundee United boss Robbie Neilson has revealed he has opened talks with Paul McMullan over extending his stay at the club.

Back in August, it looked likely that the 22-year-old was heading for the Tannadice exit after the former Celtic youngster was told by previous manager Csaba Laszlo he was surplus to requirements.

However, since Neilson took over, McMullan has become a key player and the manager is keen to persuade him to commit his future to the Tangerines.

Neilson, speaking ahead of Sunday’s eagerly-awaited Scottish Cup semi-final with Inverness, said yesterday: “We spoke to Paul but we’ve not taken it any further than that.

“He’s a player that I really like and I would like to try and extend.

“We are in the very early stages of that. I spoke about getting the January window out of the way and then we would see where we are, but we’ve had a chat with him and we will take it further.

“He’s got great attributes. He’s got pace and energy as well as some attributes that very few players in Scotland have.

“It’s just trying to get the best out of him on a consistent basis.”

Neilson added: “We forget how young he is. He’s still a young kid and he’s still learning the game. We have to be patient at times and I hope he has a big future here.”

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