St Johnstone teen Brodie Dair has completed his switch to Fulham for an undisclosed fee.
And the 16-year-old has hailed Saints youth chief Alistair Stevenson for treating him “like his son”.
Dair, son of ex-professional Lee Dair, was brought to McDiarmid Park aged 12 by Stevenson – and his progress has been rapid.
He enjoyed league and cup success with the Perth side’s successful U/18 team and, latterly, appeared in numerous Premiership matchday squads.
The Scotiland U/17 internationalist will now continue his development in West London.
But Stevenson insisted he will always be able to turn to Saints for help and advice, should it be needed.
He said: “Brodie settled into St Johnstone life terrifically, was quickly popular with the players, was fast-tracked into the U/18 squad and started scoring valuable goals.
“He has achieved so much in a short space of time with the help of our dedicated coaches and we will always be on the other end of the phone if he needs us.
“We are all truly proud of him and look forward to seeing how he progresses.”
‘Treated me like his son’
Dair added:” It has been a really enjoyable time at St Johnstone. Every single coach and team-mate has been brilliant to work with.
“Alistair [Stevenson] has helped me and been there through the whole journey. He has treated me like his son and I cannot think him enough.
“I’ve had a lot of messages from the lads in the U/18s and the first team, and the gaffer gave me a big hug before I left to say ‘stick in’.
“Again, I just want to say a big thank you to everyone for the support.”
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