Micky Mellon makes case for Lawrence Shankland to stay at Dundee United

New Tannadice boss says the club would be mad to sell their best players

Lawrence Shankland's goals steered Dundee United to the Championship title. Picture: Ross Parker/SNS

The perceived wisdom during Lawrence Shankland’s season-long scoring spree with Dundee United was that the Tannadice club would struggle to hold on to the striker over the summer.

The stats spoke for themselves: a remarkable 24 goals from 26 starts as United stormed to the top of the Championship made the forward one of football’s hottest properties. Shankland’s prolific form was the chief reason the Tangerines were 14 points clear of second-placed Inverness Caledonian Thistle when the season was ended early due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

United were declared champions before a turbulent close season saw manager Robbie Neilson leave for Hearts. His replacement was confirmed last week with the appointment of Micky Mellon, and the former Tranmere Rovers manager wasted no time in declaring his hope that Shankland remains at Tannadice.

Micky Mellon has been spending hours poring over footage of Dundee United. Picture: SNS

In a chat with Sunday newspapers, Mellon made a strong case for resisting any bids for the 24-year-old striker as United prepare to embark on their first top-flight campaign in four years.

“Lawrence deserves to be spoken about as a top player because he’s done brilliant for us,” acknowledged Mellon.

“Dundee United will do nothing that stops Dundee United getting better. I can assure you of that.

“Every question that gets thrown at us in terms of players and decisions at the club will end with, ‘Does it make Dundee United better?’ The owner won’t allow anything else, Tony Asghar [United’s sporting director] won’t allow it and I certainly won’t.

“You aren’t going to build a good team if you get rid of your best players.

“But there is a lot of talent at this club. I’ve been really enthused by it as you don’t know what’s behind the first team until you get in.

“I have been blown away by the players and I am really excited and so happy to see the talent.

“I can prove that I have brought through young players in the past and it will be good to get hold of some of them. I will try to nurture them along and get them in the first team at the right times. There is local talent there who could be brilliant for Dundee United.”

Mellon has quickly got up to speed with the United personnel, poring over footage of last season.

“Tony Asghar was laughing the other day because I phoned him at half past five in the morning,” the manager revealed.

“I woke up early because where I’m living had big crows outside the window and we don’t suffer much from darkness, I forgot how much daylight we get up here at the moment. I couldn’t get to sleep, so I was up watching Dundee United from half five.

“I thought, if I’m up, he’s up, so I called him. That’s the relationship we have. I wanted to ask him about this and that. I wanted to hit the ground running. I work really hard — that’s one of the qualities I was given as a kid.

“You work hard to get what you deserve.”

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