Butcher will tread warily with Nisbet in fine fettle

IF Dundee United had got their way, Kevin Nisbet would be lining up in tangerine at Tannadice this evening instead of the green of Hibs.

In January and June, then United manager Robbie Neilson saw two sizeable bids for the 23-goal striker thrown out by Dunfermline Athletic.

In July, an offer of £250,000 was enough to see Hibs pip Hearts — now managed by Neilson — to the talented 23-year-old’s signature.

United defensive midfielder Calum Butcher is a big fan of Nisbet, who announced his Premiership arrival on Saturday with a hat-trick in a 4-1 win at Livingston.

However, with fleet-footed forward Martin Boyle and Welsh striker Christian Doidge also in the opposition ranks, he knows it would be foolish to treat Hibs like a one-man-team.

‘Kevin Nisbet is a threat — definitely,’ nodded Butcher. ‘Mind you, Hibs have a few quality players in their side.

‘They may have Nisbet but they also have a couple of other top strikers as well and they will all need looking after on Tuesday night.

‘Hibs are a good side, who are in form right now, but we have the belief that we can pick up points against them.’

United will be hoping to have their very own shooting star back from a leg injury.

Lawrence Shankland sat out Saturday’s 1-0 win at Motherwell but the Scotland international, who scored 29 goals in last season’s curtailed campaign, faces a race against time to return.

‘Lawrence is a massive player for us,’ said Butcher (right).

‘He wants to be out there playing for the team but Louis Appere came in and did well up front for us on Saturday. ‘What we have across the team is competition for places, but hopefully Lawrence is okay for facing Hibs.

‘He picked up an injury but he has been looking after himself over the summer, so fingers crossed for him.’ With two wins from their first two games, Hibs sit joint top of the table alongside Rangers and Ross County.

But Butcher believes United are ready to build upon their own victory at Fir Park on

Saturday — United’s first topflight victory in four years — after an opening-day home draw with St Johnstone.

Last season, winning became a habit for the Championship winners and Butcher hopes that remains the case on their long-awaited return to the Premiership.

He said: ‘Hibs are tipped to do well this year and they have obviously made a great start.

‘But our start has not been too bad, either.

‘The two teams we have played so far are expected to do well this season and we have looked pretty decent against them.

‘That’s four points out of six for us and we were actually disappointed with the 1-1 draw against St Johnstone.

‘We then went away from home and got a great result that made the first result look better.

‘The boys really put a shift in at Motherwell because the conditions were tough on Saturday. It was pretty warm out on the pitch but we created enough chances to win the game.

‘As a team we have been used to winning. We have that mentality from the Championship last season. We go into our matches expecting to win. The onus is on us to make that the case this season as well.

‘We have to be ready and believe in what we are trying to do as a team this season. A big thing is getting the boys to believe in themselves but I think we have started to do that. ‘We demanded high standards from one another last season and we ended up winning the league. ‘We just have to have that ambition but tailor it for the top league.’ In January, Neilson’s United held Hibs to a 2-2 draw in the Scottish Cup at Tannadice before losing the replay 4-2 at Easter Road. New United boss Micky Mellon has spent this week studying the footage and believes there is cause for optimism ahead of tonight’s encounter, which is live on Sky Sports. The former Tranmere Rovers boss said: ‘I looked at those cup games because they are the closest evidence of what we are going to be like against the opposition we face. ‘There have never been two games the same but you learn what you can from it. And I saw enough positivity to suggest we can make a real impact at this level. ‘We will go into the game wanting to play the way we have played since I’ve come in. We look forward to the challenge. ‘It is a great chance to showcase our football club in front of a wider audience and also to let our fans see our performance because they haven’t been allowed in to the stadium.’