Clarets striker Thomas no longer target for Tangerines

celsh attacker rulem out as aaszlo targets four new faces

Burnley striker Jamie Thomas won’t be coming to Dundee United on trial.

Csaba Laszlo could be bringing in as many as four new players in January and he was expected to assess the Welsh under-19 international ahead of the transfer window opening.

Asked if the Bolton forward may yet be heading north for the United boss to take a look at, Laszlo said: “I don’t think so.”

His attacking options could soon be boosted by the return of James Keatings, however.

Laszlo reported: “I’m hoping that tomorrow he can return to training. He had a hip problem. It would be good to get him back. He’s a very good football player and I want him back.

“Toshney is the only injury. He’s got a knee problem. Everyone else is OK.”

Meanwhile Laszlo has seen an improvement in the mental strength of his team from the away draw at Brechin to the away win at Morton.

“Dundee United is the biggest club in the Championship,” he said. “Everybody wants to beat you. This is always a danger. We have to keep our feet on the ground. Mental preparation in this league is as important as physical preparation.

“After what happened at Brechin in the second half I could see in the dressing room at Morton that we were strong mentally. The players showed that they trust each other. This is very important.

“It’s not easy to be at the top. I’ve told the players, ‘everybody is hunting you now’. They all want to catch you.

“But if we win we will keep the distance between us and the rest, or maybe make it bigger because other clubs play each other. We have a chance to do that at Queen of the South.”

The Doonhamers have only lost one game in 13 and are coming off the back of one of the most impressive results of this season – a 5-2 win at Dunfermline.

Laszlo said: “At the moment it seems that there are a lot of teams in good form. Morton were playing well before our game and it is the same with Queen of the South.

“You can never go into any game in the Championship thinking you are the favourite. Everybody can beat everybody in this league. We need to be very careful, especially on an artificial pitch.

“That will not be an excuse, though. The 90 minutes against Morton was OK but the biggest problem was we didn’t use all the chances that we created. But if you win a game away that is a good performance.

“Confidence was low when I came in, even though we had just won two games with Laurie in charge. We dropped two points at Brechin but I think we have dominated every game we’ve played.

“If we can continue like this then we are going in the right direction.”

“It’s not easy to beat the top. I’ve told the players, ‘everybody is hunting you now’. they all wantto catch you. csaba laszlo

SNS. Jamie Thomas, pictured during a loan spell at Ayr last season, is no longer a United target.