Morgaro Gomis has returned to Dundee United determined to help the club secure more silverware.
The French-born midfielder was one of the Tangerines’ Hampden heroes in 2010 when they lifted the Scottish Cup after beating Ross County in the final.
A year following that triumph, Gomis left Tannadice to try his luck in England with Championship outfit Birmingham.
After leaving the Blues in the summer, the 27-year-old was on the look-out for a new club and was offered training facilities by United boss Jackie McNamara.
Having impressed, Gomis signed a deal with United last week that will keep him at the club at least until the end of the season and he insists he is hungry for more success.
He said: “I had a great four-and-a-half years at Dundee United before so I’m delighted to be back.
“The highlight was obviously winning the Scottish Cup. I will never forget that and hopefully the same can happen again. You always look back at what you did in your career.
“I celebrated the whole occasion with my friends and family that night. I was still speaking to a lot of the boys before I came back. And whenever we chatted, the cup win was always brought up. It’s so special that way.”
Gomis, who has played international football for Senegal, admitted that after leaving Birmingham, he had suffered a summer of stress as he tried to find a new club.
However, he insists the wait has been worthwhile after securing a second stint at a club he loves.
He said: “To be fair, when I left Birmingham I didn’t think I’d be in a position where I was without a club.
“I’ve had to wait until October but that’s football for you these days. It’s been a hard summer. When I asked United if I could come in and train with them a few weeks ago, they said no problem.
“Then, in the last two weeks, the manager asked me if I wanted to sign for them again. So I was very happy because I didn’t have anything and just wanted to play football again.”
Since United won the Scottish Cup, there has been a huge turnover in playing personnel as well as the emergence of precocious talent from the youth set-up such as John Souttar and Ryan Gauld.
And Gomis admitted he has been impressed by the new-look squad.
He said: “There are a lot of new faces from the time when I was here in the first place. But I already knew some of the younger players who are very talented.
“I’ve been impressed by everyone in training, not just the young lads. The team are playing a lot of good football just now and are getting the results they deserve.
“It’s hard to say if this squad now is stronger than the one we had in 2010 when we won the cup. You have to remember some of the players we had then have gone on to play in the Premiership, like Craig Conway and David Goodwillie.”
Gomis modestly would not be drawn on whether his time in the English Championship had made him a better player. However, he insists he has no regrets about his spell down south.
He added: “I will let other people judge whether I have come back a better player after my time at Birmingham. Put it this way, I think I’m still a good player.
“We’ll see what happens. I’m feeling fit and raring to go. I don’t regret my move. I tried it down in England and think I did well in the first season.
“After that, I didn’t play all that much. But you just have to get on with it and get your career going again. You can’t dwell on it as that doesn’t help anyone.”