Peterhead manager Jim McInally has no fears about how latest signing Julien Carre will adapt to first-team football.
Carre had been out of the game since last summer, following a dispute with a former agent, before becoming Peterhead’s 21st signing earlier this month.
The French midfielder has a decent pedigree in youth football. He was part of Brighton’s under-18s team before signing for Brentford in 2019.
He was a regular in the Bees’ B team for two years but upon promotion to the Premier League, they opted not to renew Carre’s contract.
The 21-year-old had been training with Peterhead ahead of signing, as he looks to get his career back on track starting at Balmoor.
“It was his first game for 18 months against Falkirk,” said McInally. “He was in with team-mates who’d already worked hard for two games that week.
“In the second half he showed his qualities and he’s a tough wee guy. When he gets the ball he can pick a pass and the players have seen in training he’s someone they can trust with the ball. He knew them all anyway as he’d been in with them for a few sessions.
“There’s some times when you watch somebody you can see you don’t need to worry about them.
“It was remarkable for him to be as sharp as he was after being out of the game for so long.”
Carre’s addition was necessary, according to McInally, at the time because of the number of players absent from his squad.
Dutch forward Loran Venrooy will not be available until January due to a registration issue and Enock Walusimbi is still awaiting his work permit.
Midfielder Andy McCarthy, who has been out since pre-season with an ankle injury, should resume full training this week, while forward Russell McLean has been stepping up his recovery and is now pain-free.
