Scot Gemmill reckons Ross Graham’s ill-fated loan spell with Dunfermline has been a blessing in disguise for the breakout Dundee United star.
The Scotland under-21 boss named Graham in his latest squad for the upcoming Euro 2023 qualifiers against Turkey and Kazakhstan following a string of superb showings at club level.
The rise of the 21-year-old has been all the more impressive given his travails at East End Park.
Graham joined the Pars on loan last summer but struggled to maximise his potential as part of a youthful, struggling side assembled by Peter Grant.
He was dropped to the bench following several high-profile errors and played just 16 minutes between September 11 and returning to Tannadice in January.
But Gemmill believes Graham’s recent performances underline that even the most challenging loan spells can still be a valuable learning curve.
“It is interesting to consider how far Ross has come,” said Gemmill. “He had a loan spell which, although I haven’t spoken to him about it, I imagine didn’t go as well as he would have liked.
“But that is a good example of the positives of going on loan.
“Young players can go on loan, play games, score goals. But it can also go another way, where you go on loan and don’t play as many minutes as you would like.
“But you can always take something from it, in terms of personal development and that awareness of football as a whole; of football as a business.
“That allows a player to go back to their parent club with a renewed attitude, motivation and recognition of how lucky they are to be at those big parent clubs — and maximise their opportunities.
A special moment for Ross Graham, bagging his first goal for the Terrors! 🍊#cinchPrem | @dundeeunitedfc pic.twitter.com/ARr69vv4ZW
— SPFL (@spfl) February 21, 2022
“I’m looking forward to working with him; not just for the games, but for the whole week we are together. We’ll get to see him in training, do some analysis work and really get to see the level of the person and the player.”
Max Anderson ‘liked a lot’
Meanwhile, Gemmill has addressed the omission of Dundee ace Max Anderson.
Anderson, 20, has made 32 appearances for the Dark Blues this season and earned his Scotland under-21s debut against Turkey last September.
However, he was overlooked in favour of midfield talents such as Connor Smith, Connor Barron and Josh Campbell.
The decision prompted criticism from Dee captain Charlie Adam, who won 26 full caps for Scotland.
No Max Anderson 👀👀
— Charlie Adam (@Charlie26Adam) March 9, 2022
He tweeted: “Played 25 league games this season and you have lads that have played 5 in ahead of him”. Adam then suggested that players are ‘definitely’ selected on the basis of the club they play for.
Gemmill added: “Max was very close and is a player we like a lot. He has been included previously.
“He’s great to work with and we are absolutely aware of the level he’s playing at.
“It’s just impossible to fit them all in at the same time but, over the campaign, we hope to give an opportunity to guys who are doing well.”
