Back at Tannadice, there was no desperate scramble to fill any void caused by the departure of last season’s top scorer, simply because a trio of front men have already been brought in over the summer.

And boss Craig Levein has revealed part of the reason he went searching for Andis Shala, Warren Feeney and, in particular, Spaniard Francesco Sandaza, was because he had anticipated receiving the kind of offer United would not turn down.

“Since there was an enquiry about Noel at the end of last season, I’ve believed there was a very good chance he would be moving on and I was determined I wouldn’t be caught out by it.

“That happened to me with David Connolly at Leicester when he was sold just two days before the transfer window closed and I could not get a replacement — it wasn’t going to happen again.”

And while he does not want to heap pressure on any of his new signings, the deciding factor in letting Hunt move was the presence in the squad of those ready-made replacements.

“I first started speaking to Noel about extending his contract six months ago and it was clear he was going to leave when his deal expired next year.

“However well he was doing, that meant when Reading came in we were aware we were being offered a lot of money for a player who was going for nothing in a year.

“On top of that, it was obvious, because his brother (Stephen) is down there, he knew the kind of money he could make in England, had it in his head he wanted to go and nothing was going to change his mind.

“I have to add that I sell this club to players as a place where they can learn, hopefully get some success and be allowed to move to a bigger stage if a fair offer comes in for them, so it would not have been right for me to stand in his way.

“Having said that, the deal has only gone through because I am happy that the quality of striker we have means there will be not gap left by Noel leaving.

“Sandaza was brought in to replace him because I had an idea this would happen and I am happy that he will do a good job.”

Craig did not let Hunt leave without wishing him all the best and admitting he is a player who has grown on him during his time at Tannadice.

“I really do hope it goes well for him. He can drive you to despair and off the park is one who can take a bit of managing, but he is a loveable rogue and a player who you know will always give you everything.”

Moving on, Craig was delighted to see defender Garry Kenneth back in action last night as a mix of reserves and first-team men beat Arbroath 2-0.

Having recovered from the ankle strain he suffered in Ireland last week, the big centre-half is now in contention for a place against Barcelona on Saturday.

If, as is feared, they show he’s broken a bone in his right arm, it is likely to rule him out of action for a couple of months, at least.

In the current financial climate, that would scupper his chances of being offered a contract at Dens.

“I need to find out the full extent of his injury and then speak to the boy before I can really say anything, but it does not look good,” said boss Alex Rae.

With summer signing Darren Young on the injury list and N’Diaye apparently out of the reckoning, that leaves the squad light in central midfield cover.

Meanwhile, Alex has confirmed when the competitive action kicks off in the Challenge Cup at Alloa on Saturday, Ludovic Roy will be in goal.

Rab Douglas has been turning out as a trialist during pre-season, but cannot complete his move from Leicester City until August 1, so will not be in line for his competitive debut until the league opener at Ross County on Saturday week.

However, Alan Main, Kevin James, Kevin Moon and Jody Morris are still out due to injury.

Saints boss Derek McInnes took the chance to have a look at County in their friendly against Falkirk earlier this week.