Neilson confident of new deal for Butcher

UNITED: Tangerines boss still hopeful of contract extension for key midfielder

Dundee United boss Robbie Neilson is confident he can get a new deal for Calum Butcher over the line.

The Tangerines and their key midfielder have agreed to extend his current contract, which was due to expire at the end of the season.

The finer details are still being ironed out but Neilson is confident the club will be able to make a formal announcement before too long.

The Tannadice manager said: “We are in talks with him about trying to get something sorted because he’s up in the summer.

“Calum has been great for us and is one of our main players. You see the quality he has and he can play centre midfield or centre-half.

“That is why we would like to try and get it over the line. I don’t think it will be a problem. He has come up here and he is settled. He has also been here before and his family are enjoying it so he is one whose deal we would like to try and extend.”

It is all part of preparing the club for a future that, they hope, will be in the Premiership.

Neilson, whose team faces Morton at Cappielow on Saturday, added: “You need a core of players.”

Neilson continued: “We have a lot of really good young players who are coming through whom we expect to break into the first team. Maybe a couple in January and more in the summer.

“But we need a core group of more experienced players around about them.

“So we’ve got Benji (Siegrist) re-signing, we’ve got (Mark) Reynolds, (Mark) Connolly, and Butch re-signing.

“If we can keep hold of these guys it will allow the younger guys to bed in a bit.”