Rangers face fight to sign Jon Daly - McNamara

Dundee United manager Jackie McNamara has revealed that Rangers face competition in their bid to sign striker Jon Daly.

Rangers have targeted 30-year-old Irishman Daly as they look to persuade free agents to pledge their future to the club when their transfer embargo ends on 1 September, with Motherwell midfielder Nicky Law also reportedly a target for the Ibrox club.

But United are still trying to keep Daly beyond the end of his contract in the summer and other clubs have apparently expressed interest in the Tannadice captain, who scored 22 goals last season and has 12 so far this term.

McNamara told STV: “Jon has been a great player for Dundee United in his time here. I think it’s credit to him that he’s highly sought after and I’m not surprised, it’s not just Rangers.”

McNamara revealed he had spoken briefly with Daly about his future and agreed to reassess the situation at a later date. But the former Celtic

defender expects Daly and any other player to look after their own future first and foremost.

“It’s down to the lad and what’s best for him and his family,” he said. “If it is with us then great, if not then it is part and parcel of football, you just have to get on with it.”

Meanwhile, McNamara has not written off Daly’s fellow forward Johnny Russell’s prospects of playing in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-finals despite his leg fracture.

Russell revealed he had fractured a fibula yesterday just as United were being paired with Celtic for a Hampden clash on 13 or 14 April.

McNamara said: “I think it’s a minimum of four weeks we are looking at. Hopefully, he’s still got an outside chance of making the semi-final.”

l Vincent Lunny, the Scottish FA’s Compliance Officer, is planning annual meetings with clubs following a successful five-week tour to discuss the Judicial Panel Protocol. Lunny and John Fleming, Head of Referee Operations, met with more than 100 managers and coaches across Scotland in conjunction with the Scottish Managers and Coaches Association to discuss disciplinary rules and refereeing matters.

Now, following feedback, Lunny wants to ensure the groups meet on an annual basis, ahead of the rules revision for the following season. He said: “The first meeting was five weeks ago in Edinburgh and the tour finished yesterday in Glasgow. The feedback from the meetings has been very positive. The level of engagement was appreciated and the discussions we had were open and frank.”