Shankland’s target of 20 is going for a song
Dundee United fans sang Lawrence Shankland’s name after he bagged a debut goal against Hearts.
Now the Tangerines hit man wants to repay them by notching 20.
Shankland has been tasked with scoring the goals that secure promotion for United this season – and he got off the mark in his first competitive game on Friday night.
The travelling Tangerines hailed the instant impact of their new hero with a series of songs in his honour. But Shankland insists he’ll only feel worthy of their acclaim once he is well into double figures.
“It is nice they are singing my name, but when I have 20 they can sing about me more because then I know I have backed it up,” he said.
“It was a great ball from Sam Stanton and I am doing my job being in the six yard box.
“I am there to put them away and thankfully it went in and I broke my duck. I didn’t have a lot of chances, but they signed me to score goals and I did that.
“You don’t get many chances against good sides and you have to be ready to score them when they come.
“The pressure is off now but I will need a lot more goals before I am happy.”
Shankland knocked back interest from clubs in England to sign for United. But the striker insists the time is not yet right for his big move south.
“When I moved here people thought I could have went elsewhere to be a millionaire, but I can tell you that is lies,” he said.
“This was the stick out option for me in terms of what I wanted for my next move.
“The club is going in the right direction and, hopefully, the same as my career.
“I am only 23. I saw Kenny Mclean going to Aberdeen at about this age and then he went to England after a few years.
“Now he is in the Premier League, so I didn’t want to rush a move to England or anything like that.
“I didn’t want to be back up the road in a few years after not achieving anything.
“If I ever go to England I want to make sure I am ready to make an impact down there.”
Helping United back to the Premiership would go some way to proving his readiness for a bigger move. That is Shankland’s main aim for a Championship campaign that is shaping up to be a cracker.
“Ayr are underdogs against most teams in the Championship but we showed we were a decent side,” he said.
“This year at United it is a whole different ball game and the pressure is on me to win games and score goals.
“But I am looking forward to that pressure. I wanted it at this stage of my career and felt it would be a vital part of my progression.
“We want to get back to the Premiership and we don’t make a secret of that.”