Football Season Guide

Dundee United will make a return to the Premiership after a one-season spell in the Championship. They returned to the top flight thanks to winning that league, yet given the investment in the team, they found it a slog. Over the course of the summer, Jim Goodwin’s side have cut away a good deal of space for new faces to come in by way of upgrades, yet these have been slow to arrive as yet. This has been reflected in a tricky League Cup campaign that saw United lose away to Falkirk and also struggle to overcome Championship side Ayr United in the group stages. In that competition, United looked raw, although there should be a relatively strong spine to the team. Lewis Moult is a proven goal scorer in attack and will be supported primarily by Tony Watt, while Kai Fotheringham also bagged double figures in goals last season. Winger Glenn Middleton, meanwhile, registered 13 assists. This quartet will be important. Similarly, the midfield will revolve around Craig Sibbald, though there likely needs to be more quality around him. The defence is a similar hot-potch of players, with Declan Gallagher than man expected to provide the gritty quality in backs-to-the-wall situations. Kevin Holt, meanwhile, may have scored six goals last term, but there are question marks over him and the full-backs. Certainly, United have moved to strengthen these areas of their team over the summer, with several reinforcements around the back. The new faces have been recruited from far and wide, with several players joining from Eastern Europe, leaving doubts over how they might settle into the team. Only Ryan Strain and goalkeeper Jack Walton, who has rejoined after being on loan from Luton last season, have experience in Scottish football.