Manager says Dingwall spell will develop loanees at Ross County
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Malky Mackay is confident Ross County’s loan signings will be better off for their time in Dingwall.
Harry Clarke this week became the third player to commit their short-term future to the Staggies, with Alexander Robertson and Jake Vokins already signing for the season.
More could be set to follow, with Mackay not ruling out further loans to bolster the squad before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
Ideally, permanent recruits would be adding to County’s strength in depth, but Mackay is realistic that loans are the more likely option for the foreseeable future to get the quality in to the Global Energy Stadium that is required.
While loan deals can improve a team’s squad, parent clubs will also expect their players to develop – and Staggies boss Mackay believes the Scottish Premiership is the perfect place for that to happen.
“They go back a footballer who can handle men’s football and the robustness and intensity of playing every week for a whole year at such a competitive level where careers are on the line,” Mackay reasoned.
“That’s the difference between reserve football and ourselves. For boys who have been out on loan already in England, when you then go to Ibrox and Parkhead in front of 50 or 60,000 people, you have to handle that – that’s something you’re not getting in Leagues One and Two in England.
“What I talk to them about is the obsession in Scotland with football.
“Certainly having been down in England, the lower the league goes, the less scrutiny there is. You might have the highlights on a Saturday night but, up here, the top league is on TV all the time.
“It is about pressure and about handling that elite environment. That’s what we can offer players who come here. We can give them experiences they wouldn’t get in England’s lower leagues.”
