“If Warren does half as well as Willo has done, I’ll be delighted,” said Craig.

The United boss is well aware of what Feeney’s capabilities are, the pair’s paths having crossed when Craig was in charge at Leicester.

And, even though the 27-year-old has struggled to hold down a first-team place in the last couple of years, the United gaffer is convinced he can be a big hit in the SPL.

“I’ve got to say I didn’t think Warren would be available. He was a big signing for Cardiff when he moved from Luton, but then they started signing guys like Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Robbie Fowler, and Warren was forced into the reserves.

“He went out on loan to Swansea last season, but picked up a bad injury and missed quite a few games. But he’s now got himself fit and needs to be playing games again — we can offer him that chance.

“I know a lot about him from my time at Leicester and I’m very confident he can do a decent job for us.

“Obviously, we simply couldn’t look at the wages he was on down there. But I must admit I was pleasantly surprised when we asked if he’d be available on loan and Cardiff said “yes”. We’re thrilled to get him.”

However, while that leaves defensive pair Jim Lauchlan and Sean Webb still looking to earn deals at Dens, Alex hasn’t ruled out the possibility of other trialists being included in the squad that travels to face Montrose tonight in a friendly (KO 7.45).

“We’ve a few things in the pipeline, but things like official clearance have to be sorted out before we can use guys,” said the Dundee gaffer today.

One man set to miss out this evening is central defender Craig McKeown.

However, the burly centre-half has been doing some light work on his own after picking up a groin injury in Malta.

“Craig has been doing a little bit of work in the swimming pool and he’s feeling alright. Hopefully, the injury will settle down and we’ll see where we go over the next few days.”

Meanwhile, Dundee have extended their Early Bird season ticket offer until July 15.

After an initial rush, sales have dropped off slightly over the last few weeks and the club are keen to see a further push ahead of the new campaign, which is less than a month away.

And fans have been assured that any cash brought in will go directly to the manager and next season’s promotion effort.

“After getting off to a positive start, we seem to have lost momentum a wee bit,” said director George Knight.

“So we’re extending the Early Bird offer in an attempt to encourage as many fans as possible to buy season tickets.

“All the money raised will go directly to Alex Rae to help him increase his playing staff.”

Midfielder Martin Hardie and forward Andy Jackson will play part of this game after recovering from the knocks which kept them out of the closed-door win over Ayr. However, Kevin Moon and Steven Doris are still struggling with injuries and won’t be involved.

Alan Main, who recently underwent shoulder surgery, received a good report from a specialist and his recovery is ahead of schedule.