Dundee United manager Micky Mellon is happy to take his time in the transfer market and give his Scottish Championship winners the chance to prove their worth in the top flight.

The former Tranmere manager brought in his first signing this week when England Under-20 winger Luke Bolton arrived on loan from Manchester City.

That deal quickly followed United’s legal victory against the challenge to their promotion by Hearts and Partick Thistle, but confirmation of their Premiership status will not lead to a sudden influx.

Speaking ahead of the league opener against St Johnstone at Tannadice, Mellon said: “I’m always looking to improve my squad because that’s what football is all about.

“The group I have at the minute are the champions of the Championship so they deserve great respect for that. But they will know my job is always to try and find better, or make them better. That’s the only way you are going to make your team better.

“We are on with a few things but we have got to take a lot of things into consideration, i.e. the fitness levels of the players in England, and fitness levels of people outside the Premiership in Scotland, we have Covid to worry about with trialists.

“So that’s been a challenge but we are on with things and will hopefully we will have some news for the fans very soon.”

United’s recruitment will likely be hugely influenced by whether or not they sell Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland.

Mellon said: “First and foremost you have to credit the football club for being able to hang on to the talent that’s in the building.

“We are in a transition up a level. Nobody will know where we are at in terms of talent until we get in there and start operating. But we are quietly confident the group will be able to go up and give a good account of itself.

“We still have until October until the window closes, so we want to make sure we get the right types whilst giving this group the opportunity that they quite rightly deserve to go and stake their claim as Scottish Premiership players.

“If I think I have to add and move on certain positions then I will do that because we have a responsibility to win games of football.

“So there will be no nostalgia in that and we will move on things if we have to but the players deserve the opportunity to show us where they are up to at the minute and I truly believe they will do themselves justice.”