Malky Mackay believes the arrival of Ryan Leak has restored his full complement of defensive options.
The Staggies lost skipper Keith Watson and Alex Iacovitti during the summer, which at one point left Jack Baldwin as their only senior natural centre half.
Will Nightingale was brought in on loan from AFC Wimbledon last month, with Mackay bolstering his backline further this week with the addition of Leak from Salford City.
Having felt he was light in defensive cover in the early weeks of the Premiership campaign, Mackay believes he is now well equipped for the weeks ahead.
Mackay said: “We lost Alex Iacovitti with that natural left foot. Him and Keith Watson were senior defenders we lost.
“We have got Will in, and Ryan brings experience.
“He’s a good age and a lean looking boy, who is tall. He has a left foot and wants to defend.
“It’s good to get him in the door, because we were looking a bit sparse at the back. One injury goes down and we would have been back to scrambling.
“Keith and Alex, who were two real physical presences for us(, have left). We certainly replaced half of that with Will, and now we’ve managed to get Ryan in the door.”
Spanish spell will serve Leak well
Leak came through Wolves’ youth setup but was unable to make the breakthrough, spending his final season at Molineux on loan with Spanish outfit Jumilla.
Following the conclusion of that spell, former Wales youth international Leak went on to move to Spain permanently, and spent two seasons with Segunda Division B outfit Burgos.
Mackay feels Leak’s experience of broadening his horizons will serve him well for the switch to the Highlands.
He added: “He’s somebody that played 38 games last year down in England.
“He has actually had a bit of experience abroad – he was over with Burgos in the second division in Spain which is not normal.
“I like the fact he went over and adapted into Segunda.
“We have talked before about youngsters coming in from England, or wherever it may be abroad. They have to find their feet, and like you should you look after them and make sure they settle into the area.
“It wasn’t even a conversation when we talked about coming to the Highlands. He has been to northern Spain and settled and done really well out there.
“Coming up here is a piece of cake.”
Potential for partnerships in Staggies’ rearguard
Mackay is confident there is the potential for a strong partnership to be formed between any combination of Baldwin, Nightingale and 25-year-old Leak.
He added: “Ideally you want to be playing alongside someone all year – or over two or three years.
“I remember down at Norwich City I played alongside Craig Fleming for two or three years. You get to know each other really well.
“To an extent Jack and Alex were playing alongside each other – you get to know each other’s little foibles.
“Jack has had various people he has had to be in and out with. The good thing is he has been very consistent, not just in terms of his performances, but also his ability to be picked every week. That’s not easy.”
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