Stuart Armstrong may have brought the curtain down on his Scotland Under-21 career but Billy Stark is glad that the midfielder will still be in a Dundee United shirt for a little longer.
The Scotland Under-21 coach was disappointed to see Armstrong pull out of the conclusion to their European Under-21 Championship qualifying campaign — the double-header in Slovakia and Luxembourg. An ankle injury has deprived Stark of his captain for the final two games and Armstrong, at 22, is too old to play for the team in future.
There had been intense speculation that Armstrong would be moving to either Celtic or a club in England, so the closing of the transfer window is not just a relief for Dundee United supporters, but also for Stark, who is convinced that another year at Tannadice will see the midfielder flourish.
“I know Jackie McNamara [the Dundee United manager] has spoken to Stuart and told him it is a really big season for him and I agree,” Stark said yesterday of Armstrong, who made 20 appearances for Scotland Under-21. “I am not surprised that he is still a United player because I think you have to look at the bigger picture and Dundee have already earned big money by selling Ryan Gauld and Andrew Robertson and it would upset the fans if there were wholesale transfers.
“I know one or two clubs were interested in Stuart but I am not sure if there were any firm bids. Dundee United will be delighted to keep him and if Stuart gives them a really good season, then his value will rise and he will earn them more money next year.
Advertisement
“He has been in the first team at United for three years and is an important player for them but there is more of an onus on him now, with the others leaving, and Jackie will want Stuart to make the next step.”
Last April, Armstrong said that he had a burning desire to play in the Bundesliga and with a trip to Germany imminent for the senior national team, Stark believes that Armstrong can push himself into Gordon Strachan’s plans for the Euro 2016 qualifiers.
“Stuart was called up to the big squad for the Croatia game last season,” Stark said. “I think he can get back into it. If he keeps developing as he has, he can do it.
“Stuart is very grounded. He was a real stalwart of the under-21s over the last few years. It is a real shame that his under-21 time came to end before it should have but when he was injured at Celtic, he knew he was struggling. Stuart phoned me to say he was very grateful for his time with the under-21s. That typified his good behaviour. Stuart was not a vocal captain but led by example.”