United boss Steven Pressley kept the local media busy for almost an hour on Tuesday afternoon as he discussed everything from settling in to his new post to January transfer window activity during what was a very engaging and enlightening encounter.
Top of the list for points to be addressed were the ongoing rumours linking in-form midfielder Jamie Devitt with a move out of the club before next week’s transfer deadline slams the window shut.
“Jamie Devitt took a knock on his hip during the first half on Saturday, but he’s had results back and he’s going to be fine,” he explained. “He should join in with training again on Thursday.
“That means we have a couple of doubts but hopefully with Arthur Gnahoua now in the building, plus hopefully one more to come this week, we’ll be in a slightly better position come the weekend.”
“If a player is playing well, you’ll always get rumours,” he added. “If we’re serious about promotion we can’t allow players to leave, that’s the bottom line.
“I don’t believe the club are under any pressure to sell any player. Yes, we understand that Dev’s contract is up at the end of the season but I think, for us, probably the money you would receive now for him wouldn’t outweigh the importance of him playing for us for the next 17 games.
“There’s no concern on my part for Dev going. He’s a key figure and I think he’ll be here. He’s like all the players in that a new manager has come in, and us managers all have different opinions on things.
“I’m still assessing the group and I was very much aware of him before I came here. He certainly enhanced his own reputation with me at the weekend with the way he played.
“I have to keep seeing that from these players because I want a good team here, if I’m here beyond the summer. He’s my type of player, I like consistent players, so they all have an opportunity in the remaining 17 games, not just to make them legendary figures with the football club, by gaining what we all want in promotion, but by earning themselves their contracts. I think that’s a great motivation for us all.”
Speaking more about the possibility of another arrival ahead of the trip to face the Valiants, he told us: “We’re close on one in particular – he’s a midfielder. We’re making progress, but there’s just one or two things to be sorted.
“I’m hopeful that we can get it resolved by the weekend.”
On the situation with players who had previously indicated a preference to seek to play football elsewhere – George Glendon, Mike Jones and Gary Miller – he commented: “They’re all serious members of the squad and, if they get the chance to play, they have to take it.
“If they come to me and say they want to leave, then we’ll have a conversation, but there’s no sense that needs to happen from me.”
It was also confirmed that former-Newcastle and Sheffield United defender David Edgar could be looked at by the club following a conversation between the manager and a contact about the defender’s current availability.
The centre back, a Canadian international with just under 50 senior caps to his name, also played for Burnley, Huddersfield, Swansea and Birmingham, and was most recently with Ottawa Fury in Canada, prior to seeking a return to the United Kingdom.
Edgar could join the Blues for training sessions in the very near future, pending further discussions.
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