Lawrence Shankland has been linked with Scottish Premiership rivals Rangers and Celtic thanks to his dazzling displays for Dundee United.
Dundee United manager Robbie Neilson claims Lawrence Shankland has been ‘brilliant for the last two seasons’ as Rangers and Celtic continue to be linked with the prolific striker, as reported by The Courier.
A summer signing from Ayr United, Shankland took his tally in Dundee United colours to 13 from just seven Championship games with a hat-trick against Morton on Saturday and, according to the Record, scouts from both Celtic and Rangers were present at Tannadice.
The 24-year-old is certainly starting to attract plenty of attention and a first ever call-up for the Scottish national team on Tuesday was well deserved – at least, in the eyes of a man who has been blown away by his clinical finishing over the last few weeks.
“He has been brilliant for the last two seasons and it’s well deserved. (The call-up) is great for the club as well and it has given everyone a real boost,” Neilson said of Shankland, who netted 63 times in 74 games for Ayr before joining The Tangerines.
According to the Shields Gazette, it will take around £2 million to lure Shankland away from Dundee United but, if he can take his lethal brand of finishing to the top tier, he would be worth every penny for title rivals Rangers and Celtic.
Neilson has even compared his star man to Stephen Dobbie, the centre-forward who was released by Rangers at the start of his career before rebuilding his reputation in the non-league and forging a fine career with the likes of Swansea City, Blackpool and Crystal Palace south of the border.
“Lawrence is a bit in the Stephen Dobbie mould in that he has had to move down a level to get back up again. Sometimes some people just have to take that little step back to go forward and I think Lawrence is very similar.”
Rangers or Celtic could be the big break he has been waiting for.
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