Jack Ross hopes to add five new faces to his Dundee United squad after insisting the paucity of senior options on the bench against Sunderland told its own story.
Nicky Clark was the Tangerines’ only experienced campaigner among the substitutes on Saturday, albeit the likes of Ross Graham and Kieran Freeman have plenty of first-team appearances under their belt.
Rory MacLeod, 16, also started in attack in the absence of Steven Fletcher, while young Archie Meekison was tidy in midfield.
United are expected to formally complete the signing of Australian keeper Mark Birighitti from Central Coast Mariners next week.
However, Ross would like four outfield additions to supplement that, while allowing some of the club’s talented teens to pursue loan deals elsewhere.
“We need bodies, there’s no doubt about that,” said Ross. “You can see where we are squad-wise. We had a 16-year-old starting and when you looked at the bench, with the exception of Nicky Clark, there was nobody over 21.
“We have a very young group and we need reinforcements. I think we need at least four outfield players and you can see that. Hopefully, we can get them in soon.
“The Scottish Premiership isn’t an easy league so you need that depth of quality and that’s what we’re striving to get.
“You can always sign players but it’s just making sure they’re what you want quality-wise.
“We have tried to be patient but we need numbers in.”
Ross added: “We would like to get some of the young players out on loan to help their development but we can’t do that at the moment.”
Fletcher and Levitt updates
Meanwhile, Ross has described injuries to Fletcher and Dylan Levitt as ‘minor’ after the duo missed out on the 2-0 defeat against the Black Cats.
Fletcher, 35, was nursing a slight thigh strain but did some light running on the pitch after the contest.
Levitt, meanwhile, suffered an impact injury to his ankle against Port Vale on Wednesday.
Although not of a mind to risk either player in a pre-season friendly, he is hopeful the pair could be available to face Fleetwood Town next Saturday.
He added: “Dylan and Steven are both okay. They are fairly minor and there’s no point taking any risks. It’s disappointing that both missed out on getting minutes but they should be okay for next weekend.”
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