Allan set for West Brom move

United manager Peter Houston yesterday refused to discuss the futures of individual players, preferring to focus on Saturday’s Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash with Hibernian. But he hinted Allan’s preference is for a switch to Albion, who last week agreed a fee believed to be in the region of £400,000 for the 20-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

Allan, who has also been linked with Rangers and Celtic, has made just seven appearances for United, but has featured in the first team since October.

Meanwhile, Allan’s fellow midfielder Danny Swanson is set to return to training on Boxing Day following a knee injury.

The 24-year-old has been out with medial ligament damage since the 15 October loss at Aberdeen.

Swanson and Scott Severin, who is recovering from a broken leg, remain the only absentees for tomorrow’s Christmas Eve clash with Hibernian at Tannadice, with Scott Robertson returning to training yesterday following a bout of illness this week.

In their last seven games, United’s two losses have come against Rangers and Celtic, while they have had wins over Dunfermline, Hearts and Inverness and draws at Motherwell and Kilmarnock.

Houston’s men take on St Mirren next Wednesday and Aberdeen on 2 January, but the United boss is at present unconcerned by being seventh in the table.

He added: “I wasn’t making a great deal of it when we were a couple of points off the bottom and I certainly won’t be looking at the table over Christmas dinner worrying about top six, seventh or eighth.

“It’s the end of the season that counts.”