Dundee United manager Peter Houston has praised Stuart Armstrong for the ”refreshing” way the Scotland Under-21 skipper committed himself to the club.
The Inverness-born player put pen to paper on a new deal last month that will keep him at Tannadice until 2015.
That contract was agreed without the usual wheeling and dealing by an agent with Armstrong’s dad the man who oversaw the negotiations.
Houston is now hoping United will reap the benefits of the player pledging his future to the club and has called on him to reproduce the outstanding performance he turned in against Aberdeen last weekend on a consistent basis.
Houston said: ”I’m so pleased we were able to get Stuart signed up again recently.
”He’s the next one who might be ready to go on to bigger things in the next couple of years.
”That’s what I genuinely think of him because he’s a good player.
”He’s the captain of the Scotland Under-21s now as well and he scored last week, which will give him a big lift, too.
”It was refreshing the way he committed himself to Dundee United. I spoke to his father, who did the contract without any agent being involved.
”His dad was 100 per cent looking after the interests of the player which was refreshing for me as a manager.
”Stuart is a level-headed boy from a good family.
”Now what I want to see from him is 10 games in a row like that.
”He has to maintain those consistency levels if he’s going to be a player week in, week out in the SPL.
”But I think he’s got the ability to do that.”
Armstrong has been mostly used as a substitute this season but after winning a rare start against the Dons, Houston admitted it will be hard to overlook him for this weekend’s game at St Mirren.
Houston said: ”Of course, it will be difficult to leave Stuart out now after the way he played against Aberdeen.
”Stuart actually played around 30 games for us last season, which is a lot for a boy his age.
”It shows the confidence myself and the backroom staff have in him.
”He’s still learning the game but he’s a great listener and has a good attitude.
”I thought against Aberdeen his movement and his legs were both brilliant.
”He wasn’t even playing his natural position. He’s more of a central player supporting the strikers but he has the quality to play wide on the left, too.”
Houston also singled out two other players for special praise following the draw against the Dons, with Mark Millar finally making his starting debut for United and skipper Jon Daly being employed at centre-half instead of centre-forward.
Houston said: ”I thought for 60 minutes, Millar was good.
”He shields the ball well and passes it well, too, so can control the game that way.
”He tired a bit after that, which is to be expected, but it was a good performance.
”I also thought Jon was magnificent, playing at the back for us at the weekend. He strolled through it.
”We needed him there just for his influence and presence to steady things.
”He’s a good talker and I’ve said before he might end up playing in defence later in his career on a permanent basis.”