Dundee United sign Ajax defender van der Maulen until end of the season

The 20-year-old joined Peter Houston's side on trial last week and impressed when he was put through his paces with the rest of his first-team squad.

It was initially thought that Ajax were looking to release the former Netherlands Under-17 international but they have since offered him a one-year deal to remain at the club.

However, Van der Maulen asked to move on in order to gain first-team experience, so has signed up at Tannadice until the summer. Ajax have waived a transfer fee but have instead insisted on a percentage of any future sell-on value.

United manager Peter Houston, who could add the player to his squad to face Inverness tomorrow, said: "Ajax offered him another year because they wanted him to stay but the boy is desperate to play football. We have first option to take him permanently at the end of the season but the deal is Ajax will want a cut of any future sell-on fee if we eventually move him on for money.

"He's looked good in training. Technically he's very good with the ball at his feet. He's maybe not in the mould of a Garry Kenneth-type Scottish centre-half at the moment but he's got other attributes which I like.

"He can also play at right-back or maybe even in the centre of midfield. He's very good on the ball so there are a few possibilities with him. It is always tough going up there, and Terry's teams battle for everything, so we know it's going to be tough."

United turned down a swap approach for midfielder Craig Conway last night, with Rangers offering to loan defender Andy Webster back to Tannadice following his successful stint at the club last season.

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Conway, who is out of contract in June, was the subject of a 600,000 offer from Middlesbrough in the summer but spent most of the current campaign out with a knee injury and has only returned to the side in the last month.

Smith missed out on winger Chris Commons last week when he chose Old Firm rivals Celtic ahead of the current champions, and was keen to add width to his team, so viewed Conway as the ideal addition to boost his options going into the final few months of the season.

United rejected the proposal out of hand.

The Tannadice outfit, who face losing the 25-year-old for nothing in the summer, believe having him in their team for the remainder of the campaign will be more beneficial than adding Webster, who was later given permission by Rangers to discuss a return to another former club, Hearts.

Conway has previously been the subject of offers from English Championship side Middlesbrough, when Gordon Strachan was in charge.