| Joining up from Celtic is highly-rated goalkeeper Michael McGovern, a former Under-21 international and now a member of the full Northern Ireland squad. With other clubs interested, United have managed to keep the signing of the 23-year-old under wraps until the last minute.
More widely expected was the arrival of the second player fixed up, German striker Andis Shala of VfR Mannheim.
Both players signed pre-contract agreements before being paraded at Tannadice at lunchtime — the full deals will be completed when contracts with their present clubs expire at the end of the month.
The manager was delighted to get them and, taking McGovern first, was pleased by the prospect of Lukasz Zaluska and the new man battling it out for the No. 1 jersey.
“I want competition for Lukasz, and Michael will provide that. He is very well thought of at Celtic, but, at a club that size, first-team opportunities for young players can be difficult to get.”
To get Shala, Craig relied on the same contact that unearthed defender Mihael Kovacevic and he is convinced the German has the potential to join the list of young players who have flourished at Tannadice over the past year or so.
“It’s a source that usually throws up players from Eastern Europe and, although Andis has a German passport, his family are from the former Yugoslavia,” he added. “I’ve seen him, and Peter Houston went over to Germany to watch him. He is an excellent prospect.”
Shala is the son of former Croatian international Kujtim Shala, who moved to Germany in the 1990s. His senior career started with Hanover 96, but a lack of first-team opportunities there saw his father buy out his contract towards the end of last year. Since January, he has been with local side Mannheim, but had an a agreement with them that he would be free to move on if a bigger club came in for him.
And, although he is still only 19, he is being signed with a view to challenging for a first-team place.
The new signings were both looking forward to making an impact at Tannadice. Shala believes the style of the SPL will be perfectly suited to his game.
“I know British football and there is a lot of kick and rush. That should be perfect for me, because I enjoy the physical side of the game and, although it is very technical in Germany, it is more slower than I like.”
For McGovern, his focus is very much on winning the No. 1 jersey.
He said, “I’m at the stage of my career where I need to be playing first-team football regularly and that’s why I’ve come to Dundee United. I believe it’s the perfect move for me and I think it’s the right one for my career.” |
