Jackson Irvine in Kilmarnock move

Kilmarnock manager Allan Johnston has backed new signing Jackson Irvine to make an impact with the Ayrshire club this season.

The 20-year-old Australian has joined the Rugby Park side on loan from Celtic for the next six months. And Johnston believes the player’s versatility will boost his chances of establishing himself in the top team at Kilmarnock.

He said: “It’s good to get him. He’s a quality player and he will be a good addition to the squad. For me, the big attraction is that he can play in numerous positions. He can play centre-half or central midfield. I’m sure he will do really well. We’ve got him for six months so it’s a great 
opportunity for him to come in and play first-team football and I’m sure he will handle it no problem.”

Irvine featured for the Hoops just last week in a friendly against Liverpool in Dublin. Johnston added: “Seemingly he had a really good performance there. Hopefully he can take that kind of performance into our games.”

Johnston has also recruited right-back Sean Clohessy ahead of Saturday’s game against St Mirren and the manager is keen to boost his squad further. He said: “We still need a few more and we are working on trying to bring a few more in.”