Dundee United need not be a mere stepping stone on the path to better things for Jeando Fuchs.
That is the belief of manager Micky Mellon, who has brought the Cameroon international to Scotland from Spanish club Alaves in an eye-catching bit of business.
It will be a bit of a false start for Fuchs, who is currently self-isolating along with his family in line with the coronavirus travel rules.
When his designated contact-free fortnight is over, Mellon is promising that his new midfielder will become a bit of a star in the Premiership.
There is a good chance he will be proven right, with Fuchs boasting a pedigree that includes a place alongside Paris Saint-Germain ace Kylian Mbappe in the French under-19 side that were crowned European champions in 2016.
If he does as well as hoped then some may expect his stay at Tannadice to be shorter than the two-year deal he has just signed.
That may not be the case, argues Mellon.
The Tangerines’ boss said: “The remit here it to try to improve every player we have and make Dundee United as successful as we can be.
“In the market we’re in, it’s great credit to the football club that players have moved on but I don’t think we bring players here with a view to moving them on.
“Sometimes opportunities come up that are too good for players and you have to let them go but we are not bringing players in to just sell them.
“We want to make this club successful and get results.
“Fuchs will be all-action and he will bring energy and good experience to the squad.
“He is a good all-round midfielder, has played in a couple of countries and is knocking on the door for Cameroon.
“He was successful with the French national team up to under-21s and won the (Under-19) Euros with Mbappe and that team.
“So he will bring quality here and will help us move forward.”
Mellon stressed that the club is conscious of its duty of care to a 22-year-old player coming to a new country and having to lock down.
The United manager added: “He is in quarantine for 14 days, which is a strange situation because he has been tested regularly in Spain.
“It is complicated so he, his partner and their baby have to isolate.
“We will support them the best we can and will do everything we need to do to make it as comfortable as we can.”
While Fuchs is safely behind closed doors, his new teammates will head to Brechin’s Glebe Park tomorrow night for the first of their Betfred Cup group games.
The expectation among many is that United will put out a fringe side against City but they obviously didn’t consult Mellon before forming that opinion.
The Tannadice gaffer, asked if it would be making drastic changes to his line-up in the wake of Friday’s league loss at home to Livingston, replied: “We are looking to put out a team that will move us ahead.
“Wednesday’s game is another opportunity to do that.
“We know we still have a lot of work to do and we are very honest about that.
“We can only be gauged on our improvement in games and I think we can see on Wednesday where we need to improve and where we have improved – as a first-team game.”
United goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist will be given more time to recover so that means Deniz will continue in goal, probably for all the Betfred matches.
Mellon said: “He (Siegrist) didn’t train today so we will see how he progresses.
“He felt his groin pop a little bit so there was no way he would have been ready for Friday night.
“We will just have to keep an eye on him.”
Meanwhile, Rangers’ involvement in the group stages of the Europa League has meant a fixture amendment for the Tangerines.
United’s home game against the Light Blues, originally scheduled for Saturday, December 12, will now take place the following day at 3pm.