New Dundee skipper Jordan McGhee has vowed to repay the faith shown in him by boss James McPake by getting the club “back where it belongs”.
The 24-year-old was given the armband for the Championship season ahead after the departure of Josh Meekings in the summer.
And he was delighted to take the responsibility of leading the Dark Blues as they got back out on the training pitch this week.
McPake’s men still have five weeks before their first competitive match of the 2020/21 season, a Betfred Cup clash with Forfar Athletic on October 6.
After almost six months off, though, McGhee was more than happy to be back at the club looking ahead to the new campaign.
On being given the role as club captain, former Hearts and Falkirk man McGhee told Dee TV: “Delighted.
“It’s a massive honour, being at a young age, the manager has put the faith in me so I need to repay that and try to get the club back to where it belongs.”
He added: “It was great to see all the boys and get working hard again as a group.
“We’ve been working hard individually with the programmes since it started and the boys have stuck to it and all come back in good shape.
“I’m looking forward to the season now.”
After a strong first term at the club last year after joining from the Bairns, McGhee is obviously a respected member of the squad.
So much so, that his fellow players voted for him to win the Players’ Player of the Year award last year after impressing in different roles throughout the campaign.
The award is something the defender says he’ll “treasure”.
“That’s massive and especially coming from your own dressing room, it means a lot,” he added.
“I thought once we got up and running in the league and found our feet everyone was good to a man. It’s a massive honour to me and something I’ll treasure.”
The Dark Blues returned to training at the Regional Performance Centre at Caird Park yesterday, though there were a number of differences from a normal first day of pre-season.
Coronavirus guidelines and protocols have been put in place for all teams training. For McGhee, though, it was just good to get back out on the park again.
“We got the briefing on Friday and we knew it would be difficult but it actually went smoother than I thought it would have and the boys settled in well to it.
“It just felt normal to be out on the pitch again and having a football at our feet.”
