Dundee United

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Idjessi Metsoko and Jamie Forrest were on target as Dundee United concluded their pre-season friendly games with a 3-2 defeat away to Salford City on Saturday.

Trailing 2-0 at the interval to goals from Macaulay Langstaff and Adebola Owolu, manager Jim Goodwin changed his entire outfield team for the second half.

Lorenzo Sassetti and Ross Graham threatened before Metsoko fired home from the edge of the penalty area.

Josh Austerfield restored the hosts' two-goal cushion but there was a strong finish from United as Forrest finished off following a driving run from fellow teenager Charlie Dewar.

United get the new Scottish Premiership season under way at home to Rangers on Friday evening.

Dundee United are still waiting for Major League Soccer to sanction the loan signing of 21-year-old left-back Philippe Ndinga from Philadelphia Union. (Daily Record, external)

Manager Jim Goodwin has vowed to "fight tooth and nail" to keep Lorenzo Sassetti, who became Dundee United's youngest ever player on Tuesday at the age of 15, at the club despite the forward being tracked by several clubs in Serie A and the English top flight. (The Courier, external)

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Dundee United 25-year-old Will Ferry is on a list of potential left-back options Celtic manager Martin O'Neill is considering. (The Courier, external)

Dundee United have held talks with Baseksehir about taking 19-year-old midfielder Abdoulaye Yoro on loan. (Daily Record, external)

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Dundee United centre-half Iurie Iovu is attracting strong interest from across Europe, including strong interest from Portugal, but the 24-year-old says he is enjoying his time at Tannadice as he enters the final year of his contract. (Daily Record, external)

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Dundee United are closing in on a loan deal for Philadelphia Union left-back Philippe Ndinga. The Courier - subscription required, external

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Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin is "very, very pleased" with his squad after what he described as another "rebuild" this summer.

United defeated Arbroath 3-0 at Tannadice on Saturday to move on to six points out of nine in Premier Sports Cup Group B. They have still to play visitors Spartans, on Tuesday (19:45 BST).

"It's still very early days for this group," Goodwin told club media.

"Every summer transfer window that we've gone into has been a rebuild.

"We had 14 new faces coming in last season. We've already added nine this season. It takes a lot of time on the training ground for the message to get through to the players.

"I'm definitely seeing positive progress in the training sessions that we're doing.

"I'm very, very pleased with the squad up to now."

Will Ferry, who has been linked with a move away from United, played his first 62 minutes of the season against Arbroath, with Zac Sapsford, Idjessi Metsoko and Metsoko's replacement Lachlan Rose scoring the goals.

"Will Ferry, beginning of the second half, played a couple of really good balls into the channel for Metsoko and Sapsford to chase down," added Goodwin.

"The Arbroath defence naturally drop that little bit deeper and then we manage to exploit the space in front of their back four.

"The tempo and the intensity in the second 45 was a lot better."

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Falkirk manager John McGlynn says Ryan Strain fits a specific need at right-back after the former Dundee United man joined the Bairns on a free transfer.

Strain, 29, is a familiar figure in the Scottish Premiership having played for St Mirren before joining United in 2024. His contract at Tannadice expired at the end of last season.

Falkirk will be without Keelan Adams for approximately nine more weeks after he had an operation earlier this summer, while summer signing Jack McMillan is also injured.

"I'm delighted to bring in a player of Ryan's quality and experience," McGlynn said.

"I've mentioned in recent interviews that Keelan Adams has had an operation and has approximately another nine weeks of recovery ahead of him, provided there are no setbacks. Jack McMillan is also injured at the moment, so I felt we needed to strengthen in that area.

"Ryan is a proven Premiership player who has performed consistently at this level for both St Mirren and Dundee United. He knows the league inside out, understands exactly what is required and comes in ready to make an immediate impact, so this isn't a gamble in any way whatsoever.

"He is a very accomplished right-back, both defensively and going forward. He has great energy, uses the ball well and gives us another real attacking threat down that side.

"Just as importantly, he brings composure, professionalism and a wealth of experience to the group.

"He is a quality addition to the squad, and I'm confident he'll make a big contribution for us."

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Teenage forward Kai Hutchison has left Dundee United to join Everton.

The Scottish Premiership club say they offered the 16-year-old, who was yet to play a first-team game, a professional contract, but he has opted to move south instead.

United added that a compensation package has been agreed for the youngster, who becomes the latest in a long line of prospects to leave Scotland for the Premier League.

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Jim Goodwin admits his Dundee United side are "not quite fit enough" after they were beaten 1-0 by Scottish League One side Montrose in Tuesday's League Cup group stage game.

A defensive lapse for United's Ross Graham allowed Montrose's Graham Webster to score the only goal of the game at Links Park.

The defeat comes after a stoppage time penalty helped the Tangerines to a narrow 1-0 win against Stirling Albion at the weekend.

The result on Tuesday means Stirling Albion, Arbroath, Montrose and United all sit on three points in Group B but Arbroath and Montrose have a game in hand.

"We lacked that bit of creativity that we spoke about on Saturday," Goodwin told club media.

"I think it's normal for such a new group of players to not quite have that understanding and not quite gelling the way that we would like at this early stage, but I would still expect us as the Premiership team with the quality of players that we have to have at least scored a goal or two.

"It's not acceptable. We know that and for me as the manager, I've got to accept the criticism that comes our way.

"You're on a hiding to nothing in these games as the Premiership team, they come around too early, we know that, the team is not quite fit enough.

"It's a group of players that have only been together for three weeks, it's only normal that they don't have that understanding that you would expect, but it'll come.

"We're still in the competition, and that's the bottom line."

AC Milan, Internazionale and Juventus are exploring whether they can snatch Lorenzo Sassetti from Dundee United for free after the 15-year-old striker played for Scotland's youth sides but recently switched to Italy. (Sun, external)

Ross County forward Brian Graham suggests his former Falkirk manager John McGlynn as Scotland manager. (Press and Journal - subscription required, external)

Wednesday's Scottish gossip

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Dundee United defender Matthew Mudie has joined League Two side The Spartans on a season long loan, the club has confirmed.

The 18-year-old right-back has been part of United's youth academy and has featured six times for the club's B team.

Mudie is yet to make his senior debut for United and will spend the upcoming season with the Edinburgh outfit.

After a solid but ultimately unspectacular seventh-place finish, Dundee United head into the new season determined to kick on.

Host Andrew Petrie is joined by columnist Jim Spence and fan podcaster Ronny Costello to discuss a summer of change at Tannadice.

The panel assess Jim Goodwin's future, the growing expectation of a more attacking style of play, and whether key signings such as Dylan Tait and the returning Jack Walton can help United move forward.

They also reflect on the departures of influential figures including Amar Fatah and Luca Stephenson, debate the club's recruitment strategy, and shine a spotlight on exciting academy prospect Cohen Leiper after his eye-catching start to the campaign.

With hopes of a top-six finish and pressure building for progress, can United find the consistency they lacked last season?

Listen: Can Dundee Utd take next step?

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New Dundee United winger Mehdi Merghem "brings a real creative difference", says manager Jim Goodwin after signing the 28-year-old on a two-year deal.

Merghem arrives at Tannadice as a free agent after half a season with Bastia in the French second tier.

"He can make something happen out of nothing and I felt that was an area of the squad we needed to recruit for," Goodwin told club media.

"Mehdi is the type of player who will excite the fans with his style and dead-ball expertise."

With French and Algerian citizenship, Merghem is United's ninth summer signing.

He has Ligue 1 experience with Guingamp and has also played in Portugal with Farense and at Algerian clubs USM Alger and JS Kabylie.

"I can't wait to get going," he said.

"My conversations with the manager and the coaching staff have been great and I've also had the chance to meet my new team-mates which has been fantastic.

"I like to make chances happen, score goals and get assists, which is what I hope to do with Dundee United."

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Jim Goodwin revealed Dundee United have "one or two" potential incomings following his side's 1-0 win at Stirling Albion.

Zac Sapsford's added-time penalty gave United a winning start to their Premier Sports Cup group.

"We've got one or two in the pipeline at the moment that are bubbling away," Goodwin told Premier Sports.

"We would expect to have a bit of positive news, I would imagine either over the weekend or early part of next week on one in particular.

"We certainly need a couple of wide players at least."

Republic of Ireland's Will Ferry, who can play wide on the left in attacking and defending positions, was not in the Tangerines' squad at Forthbank Stadium and has been linked with a move away from Tannadice.

Meanwhile, Goodwin says 16-year-old substitute Cohen Leiper "thoroughly deserves" his plaudits after making an impact against Stirling.

"I'm delighted for Cohen," Goodwin said of the wide man.

"You could even hear the supporters there beside him - the excitement that young wingers give to the crowd when they just go and get at people.

"That's what we're trying to encourage him to do in training. He got his rewards."

Manager Jim Goodwin says Will Ferry is unlikely to play for Dundee United until he sorts out his future after the 25-year-old winger rejected a £1.8m transfer to a Czech club earlier this month. (Courier - subscription required, external)

Sunday's Scottish gossip

Will Ferry has "earned the right to explore all his options", says manager Jim Goodwin, after Dundee United accepted a bid from a Czech side for the Republic of Ireland international, 25. (Courier - subscription required, external)

Saturday's Scottish football gossip