The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Talented teenager signs new Dens deal
Dundee boss ‘delighted’ as midfielder Robertson commits future to club
Dundee have secured the future of one of their brightest young talents after teenage midfielder Fin Robertson committed himself to the club until 2023.
The 17- year- old emerged last season as an integral part of the Dark Blues midfield, playing 22 times in all competitions.
And he was a clear winner of the Isobel Sneddon Young Player of the Year award after the campaign ended prematurely.
His exploits at Dens Park also earned international recognition after being capped for Scotland under-19s.
As a Dundee fan himself, Robertson quickly became a fan favourite in dark blue and the club’s supporters are delighted he’ll be sticking around for the next three years.
As is his manager, who revealed there had been interest in the youngster’s services recently.
James McPake said: “It’s as important as any other business we’ve done this summer, getting Finlay tied down, particularly with the interest other clubs have shown in him.
“We believe he is at the right place and Fin, his family and his agent believe the same.
“We are delighted that he committed his future to the club.
“I’ve worked with him since he was 14 and always knew if he worked hard has and did the right things, he could have a career in football.
“This is just the start for him, and we believe with the experience we have in the dressing-room and Fin’s eagerness to learn, it’s only going to make him a better player.”
Having worked with Robertson in the youth set-up, McPake wasted no time in getting the central midfielder involved in the first team when he stepped into the manager’s role.
The Dens gaffer took over in a caretaker capacity at the end of the 2018-19 campaign following the sacking of Jim McIntyre.
And immediately thrust Robertson into the starting XI for the final match of the season against St Mirren.
As he has done in each of his 22 appearances for the club to date, Robertson took the pressure and expectation of playing for Dundee that day in his stride.
Though he’s not often hitting the headlines, the quiet way he goes about his business on the park speaks volumes for the ability he possesses.
Doing the simple things well is an under-rated talent and, despite only being 17, Robertson quickly gained the respect of experienced midfield team-mates such as Paul McGowan, Graham Dorrans and now Charlie Adam.
Robertson is as dependable as any of them when receiving the ball in tricky situations in hectic Championship midfields and Dundee have been desperate to extend his contract for some time now.
Now they have his future secured, for the next three years anyway, and plan
to help develop “one of the top young talents in the country”.
That’s how his boss McPake described him back in April when looking ahead to the 2020/21 campaign.
On Robertson’s debut season, McPake said: “Has he performed the way we thought he would? Absolutely.
“Will he be crucial when we get back to playing? Very much so, yeah.
“For me, he’s one of the top young talents in the country.
“But he has a lot to learn and he knows that.
“The good thing about Finlay is he is working non-stop – you need to tell him to stop at times.
“He’s a lovely kid with a great attitude and very modest. He listens and wants to learn all the time.
“We’re delighted he is at our club. He still has a long way to go and we believe we can help him get there.”
As on the pitch, Robertson likes to keep things simple in life and he showed just that in response to the photo of him signing his new deal on Twitter.
Just a one-word message saying: “Delighted.”
This is just the start for him. JAMES MCPAKE