And there was an immediate cash boost for the Dark Blues when chief executive Dave MacKinnon announced a shirt deal with sports memorabilia firm Signatures 4 U that should rake in well over £100,000 in the next two years.

When he took up his new post just a week ago, Dave admitted the “first boxes to be ticked” were finding a new team boss and securing sponsorship, and he is delighted both tasks have been completed so quickly.

“Alex Rae and Davie Farrell will be in charge and, particularly on match days, Gordon Wallace will be heavily involved. We are very pleased with the team that’s been put together,” he said.

By next week, a former club captain should also be joining the backroom staff, though details of that appointment have still to be finalised and today’s focus was on confirmed arrivals.

“I’m very excited about Alex coming here. I have been very impressed by his thoughts and ideas and, while his main role will, obviously, be as manager, you’ll see him be a big figure on the park as well,” added Dave.

“At 36, he is still one of the fittest guys I know and is definitely capable of playing in the SPL.

“He is also a winner, a leader on the park and, along with the likes of big Bobby Mann, he will be a big influence over the very good young players who are here.

“I am also pleased we’ve got Davie Farrell, because, since he hung up his boots, he has become one of the emerging coaches in the Scottish game — that’s why Gretna snapped him up for their youths. Gordon Wallace adds a wealth of experience and he is the mentor we wanted for our new team.”

Rae’s plans to build a team capable of getting back to the top flight will be aided by the cash brought in from the new sponsors, who deal worldwide, but also have strong Dens connections.

“The deal with Signatures 4 U is quite exceptional — it’s for a year with the option of another year and we are talking SPL figures with them,” explained Dave.

“They are a vibrant young firm, just the kind of people we want to be associated with and they know about Dundee. Their directors are Ben Stevens and Craig Stewart, who is from Carnoustie originally, and his dad is still a season ticket holder here.”

“Dave MacKinnon first told me about the possibility of this a few weeks ago and, since then, it’s been rattling around in my brain.

“I’ve been thinking about the job and what players I might be able to bring in, because I’m told there’s an array of young talent here, but we might need more experience. I had offers to play up here and back down south, but, once I knew about this, it was really what I wanted. I’d thought about going down the coaching route, but, when an opportunity like this one arises, it’s too good to turn down.”

He stayed at the Den for six seasons before moving to Sunderland for five years and, in 2001, big-spending Wolves took him to Molineux. Two years later, he was a vital cog as they finally made it to the Premiership.

Their stay in the top flight of the English game lasted just one season and, in 2004, Rae returned to Scotland and his first love Rangers. In his first season, he was regularly involved as Alex McLeish’s men won a dramatic title race, but, this term, his involvement has been limited to six top-team games.

The last 12 months have seen his coaching workload at Ibrox increase and Rae has been in charge of the Under-14 side there.

He did have an offer to continue in a coaching capacity under new boss Paul Le Guen, and Millwall were also showing interest, but his meetings with Dave MacKinnon persuaded him to head for Dens.

At the peak of his career down south, Rae was forced to admit a serious alcohol problem, but he faced it head on and, not only did he recover to win a clutch of Scotland caps, he has also used the experience to lecture emerging young players on the danger of alcohol abuse.

Also 36 and from Glasgow, Farrell’s career moved in the opposite direction and, after starting down south at Oxford United in the late 1980s, he moved back north with Hibs, then Partick Thistle, Airdrie, Clydebank, Stranraer and Albion Rovers. Most recently, he has been helping out Gretna’s youth coaching set-up.

The problem is the tournament takes place in the Polish city of Poznan, starting on July 18 — right at the peak of the Tangerines’ pre-season build-up.

United will be just back from their training camp in Denmark and that’s a trip boss Craig Brewster would like both Cameron and Kenneth to be on.

“It’s great what the Under-19s have achieved and I would love for them to play in Poland, but, first and foremost, they are Dundee United players and the club has to come first,” he said.

“It’s going to be a case of seeing how the squad is shaping up and taking things from there, but Kenneth has been around the first team since before I arrived and Cameron did very well when he came in at the end of the season.”

With the championships classed as a competitive event by FIFA, technically Scotland have first call on the pair.

United’s U/14 and U/16 squads are off to France next weekend to participate in the Festival d’Armor in Brittany (June 3-5).