By Ian Roache

A RELAXED Craig Levein has advised goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska to stay at Dundee United for his own good.

The Polish shot-stopper has been in excellent form this season for the Tangerines, resulting in reported interest being shown in him by Celtic.

Linking one of the Old Firm with a form player in the side that is currently the best of the rest in the SPL is nothing new.

It has certainly not come as a shock or even an irritation to the Tannadice boss but he is urging Zaluska to agree to the terms now on offer from United because staying put will benefit him in the long run.

“The way football is these days, if other teams are interested in our players then I am not in the slightest bit surprised,” Levein said.

“We have made Lukasz the offer of a new contract which he is currently considering.

“I have spoken to his agent and him and we will find out whether he wants to stay or not.

“If he doesn’t then so be it—that’s just the way the game is these days.

“I think the right thing for Lukasz to do is to stay with us for at least another year because he is playing football every week.

“The improvement in him from when he started with us to now has been fantastic and I think there is more to come.

“The last thing, I think, he wants to do is go some place else if he is not to be going to be a number one choice.

“In all honesty, Lukasz has been great for us but he has not been any better for us than we have been for him.

“I hope he stays but if he doesn’t then we’ll deal with it.”

The improvement in Zaluska, who has recorded seven clean sheets this term, has certainly been appreciated by his colleagues.

Central defender Darren Dods said, “Lukasz has really pushed on this season and it is amazing to think it is only his second year in the first team.

“He has been solid and has made some magnificent saves so that gives confidence to the boys at the back.

“He is getting close to playing as well as (Grzegorz) Szamotulski was.

“Szamo was a more experienced keeper who was in his 30s and already an international for Poland.

“But Lukasz is young, he has already broken into the Polish squad and I think he has the potential to go on.”

Meanwhile, Levein has told his charges they can only continue making progress if they keep putting the effort in on the park.

“The cornerstone of our good run has been hard work,” he said.

“The other stuff—the players growing in confidence, playing well and feeling good about themselves—comes with winning matches and if we hadn’t worked as hard as we have done then we wouldn’t have won these games.

“The ethos of this club is hard work and nobody is exempt from that.”

The message that the United players can’t rest of their laurels is getting through to the dressing room, with Dods adding, “Nobody here is thinking it is easy from now on.

“We know Aberdeen, Motherwell and Hearts are right there behind us in the table and one slip will let them jump above us.

“We would love to keep this run of form going but we know we will have to earn our results.”

Warren Feeney, who missed Wednesday’s win over Hibs through injury, is expected to be back training today and should join fellow frontman Jon Daly, who made the bench in midweek, in the squad for the trip to Kilmarnock.

* The Tangerines’ Co-operative Insurance Cup semi-final against Celtic will be played at Hampden Park on Wednesday, January 28 (7.45 kick-off) and will be screened live by the BBC. Rangers and Falkirk will meet at the national stadium on the previous night.

* United’s half-season tickets go on sale today. They start from the game against Falkirk on December 27 and adult books are available from £160, under-12s start at £40, while parent and child tickets can be bought for £200.