Dundee sign Scotland Under-21 striker Michael Mellon on loan from Burnley

Dundee have signed Scotland Under-21 striker Michael Mellon on loan from Burnley for the remainder of the season.

Mellon, the son of former Dundee United manager Micky Mellon, is the third player to arrive at Dens Park from the English Premier League side since the clubs agreed a new partnership to develop player.

He follows Dara Costelloe and Owen Dodgson in making the move north this month.

Mellon spent the first half of the season on loan at Morecambe, where he scored 15 goals in 27 games.

Dundee boss Tony Docherty is hoping the forward can add to his goalscoring tally but said the club was signing a player whose all-round talent would be a boost to his side.

“He is a player of such high calibre and a player that we’ve been tracking for a long time,” Docherty told the club’s website.

“We are indebted to Burnley Football Club and our partnership with them for helping us bring Michael in when he had so many suitors.

“Michael is a fantastic footballer. He’s not just a goalscorer, he’s more than that. When you look at his all-round play, he’s strong, he’s quick, he’s got great technical ability and his link-up play is very good.

“But his biggest quality is his knack of scoring goals. He has scored 15 goals in all competitions at Morecambe this season which is very impressive.”

Mellon arrives as forward Zak Rudden head on loan to Championship side Raith Rovers.

Mellon could face Livingston on Saturday if international clearance is completed. Docherty is anticipating a tough game against a side Dundee have already beaten twice this season.

“It’s fairly much cliche, but it’s one game at a time and your next game is the most important and it’s Livingston away from home.

“This year, we have beaten them home and away so we’re looking to make that three in a row if we can but we know how difficult a task that’s going to be.

“Livingston are fighting for their lives, they are a difficult opponent, they’ve got a really good manager, very experienced.

“We know how tough the task is going to be but hopefully if we can implement a game plan for 90 minutes this time it’ll give us a good opportunity to come up with three points and then we can look at the league table.”