Ross County manager Malky Mackay is not fazed by reports linking midfielder Yan Dhanda with a return to England.
Englishman Dhanda has been a stellar performer for the Staggies this season, and recently returned from a foot injury to set up both goals in County’s 2-0 win over Livingston on Saturday.
Dhanda joined from Swansea City last summer, and still has a further year on his contract beyond the end of this season.
Mackay insists he is looking no further than Dhanda’s strong performances for his side.
He said: “That’s not even something that has entered my mind at the moment.
“He’s signed to us, he’s our player, and I’m just delighted that he is back in the team and has hit the ground running again.
“We lost him for five weeks to injury when he had hit a really good vein of form.
“Yan has come in and settled in to the way of life here, and the frenetic nature of the football.
“He has probably learned about himself on and off the field, too – he has got a new baby with his wife.
“He has grown up by the minute, and he’s a very articulate and intelligent boy.
“I think he’s also beginning to see how he’s adapting as a footballer, which makes a difference. That’s starting to show.”
Mackay urges County to rise to big atmosphere at Tannadice
County remain bottom of the Premiership ahead of Saturday’s crunch trip to Dundee United.
The Staggies know a victory at Tannadice would see them leapfrog Jim Goodwin’s side.
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— Dundee United FC (@dundeeunitedfc) May 10, 2023
United are closing in on a sell-out home crowd for the visit of the Staggies, however, Mackay feels his visiting side must thrive on the big atmosphere.
He added: “I think sometimes that can bring its own pressure.
“It’s a good stadium, and I’ve played there when it’s been full myself.
“The fact is that the players want to play in the biggest games, and in front of the biggest crowds in the biggest situations.
“There is that level of excitement and, when you do that in front of another team’s fans, how we play and how we do can have an effect on that stadium.
“I think that’s something we’ve all witnessed before – take Easter Road, for example. There was a huge attendance that night and a hostile atmosphere at the start, which wasn’t there by the end.
“That was down to how we played. We’ve got to make sure we go to Dundee United and handle that, and deal with it.
“There’s a pressure going in to that, but there’s also pressure playing in front of a huge attendance of your own fans. Dundee United will have to deal with that.”
Staggies focused on task at hand
County boosted their survival prospects with their win over Livi, which narrowed the gap on both United and Kilmarnock to a solitary point.
Although Mackay says the result has lifted the Staggies’ confidence, he insists his players are not getting carried away.
Mackay added: “The boys are in good spirits.
“It’s just about going through the process that we do in terms of the week that we’ve got in front of us.
“They make sure that their bodies are right for Saturday.
“So it’s a fairly balanced training ground – and it’s my job to make sure that that’s the way it stays.”
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