Ilmari Niskanen has been terrifying Premiership defences for weeks with his craft.
Now he has added graft to his game – and Tam Courts reckons it will make Dundee United’s flying Finn an even more potent weapon.
Having endured his summer switch to United becoming bogged down in red tape, Niskanen had to wait to make his bow.
He has since proved his worth with a series of impressive displays, culminating in another call-up to the Finland squad to face France and Bosnia.
His rapid progress has delighted United’s head coach.
And Courts thinks Tangerines fans can prepare for more impressive displays as Niskanen continues to adapt.
“I can see a huge difference in Ilmari over the last few weeks,” he said.
“It took time to get him here and get him playing, but he’s really kicked on lately.
“The way we play is compatible with the way he likes to play, he’s quick and aggressive so he’s made a big difference in the games he’s played.
“There has definitely been a shift for him in the last month or so.
“When you look at his numbers, you are seeing goals and assists there and it’s nice to have a player like that available to us.
“He’s adapted to the physical aspect of the game here.
“You could see from the start he had the technical ability and from the way he worked, it was only a matter of time before he got up to speed.
“He’s got used to the pace of the game and right now he looks like he’s going from strength to strength.
“Getting back in the Finland squad has been significant for him too and I think you’ll only see him get better.”
With the first round of fixtures done and dusted, United are sitting pretty in fourth place with 21 points, just two behind Celtic in second and six behind league leaders Rangers.
It has been a dream start for to life under Courts for Tangerines fans.
But while the Tannadice boss is pleased with how his side are performing, he wants “consistency” to be the watchword between now and the New Year.
“I always saw a lot of potential in this group of players and it was about letting them be as good as they can be,” he said.
“Winning against Rangers was a big result, that was a step forward and then we won the Dundee derby, which took us another step forward.
“I think the players have taken on the ideas well, the performance levels have been good and we just need to find a level of consistency during the winter.
“Nobody is running away with it and nobody is cast adrift at the bottom, so it’s going to be an interesting second quarter.”
