Tommy knows Ali is made of the right stuff
Ali Mccann was a contender for Scottish football’s Young Player of the Year. And new St Johnstone boss Callum Davidson could have a fight on his hands to hold on to the top-rated Northern Ireland Under-21 starlet.
Former Mcdiarmid manager, Tommy Wright, reckons 20-year-old Mccann has already popped up on the radar of clubs on both sides of the border.
“Ali will be the one Callum will have to fight hard to hold on to,” warned Wright.
“Ali has got everything to be a topclass midfielder. He already is in Scottish Premiership terms.
“Look at the goal he scored at Aberdeen – the timing of his run and chipping over the keeper to finish.
“He moves the ball well. He’s twofooted. He played centre-half as a kid so he can deal with the physical stuff. “We were 4-0 down at half-time at Celtic Park in the first game. We hadn’t laid a glove on them.
“I asked Ali to go out and make an impression.
“We lost another three goals, but he was brilliant and has stayed in the team ever since.
“And I think Ali will kick on this season.
“The club has a lot of good young players there, like Jason Kerr and Liam Gordon.
“I think last season we played the most players aged 23-and-under in the league. The majority were Scottish-born, which was good.”
Wright wasn’t surprised Perth chairman, Steve Brown, turned to Millwall, and his one-time Saints assistant Davidson, to fill his shoes. “Callum has a good squad, and I’m sure he will do very well,” he continued. “He only needs two, maybe three signings, and they will have another good season.
“Callum will be his own man. He knows the club and it is the perfect fit for them.
“I spoke to Callum before he took it. “He will be good on the training pitch, I know that.
“Callum has good staff there and I’m glad to see Steven Maclean going back in as a coach.”