St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson remained tight-lipped about Dylan Reid’s link with Crystal Palace but acknowledged the lure of the Premier League.
The 17-year-old midfielder, who turned down a move to Celtic last summer, is reportedly a target of the London club in a six-figure move.
Ahead of the Scottish Cup fourth-round tie against Championship side Dundee on Saturday, the Buddies boss straight-batted a question about Reid’s situation.
He said: “I think it is unfair for me to speculate about a 17-year-old kid. There is enough pressure on young boys.
“He is still a kid. Dylan is a St Mirren player as it stands right now and hopefully that will remain.
“You look at the English Premier League teams and they are probably spending more money on 16 and 17-year-olds than they are on boys at 22 and 23 that are established.
“They are paying a lot of money for potential.
“It is credit to Allan McManus (St Mirren academy director) and our academy staff that we are getting that interest in our players and in Scottish football as a whole, that it is generating interest from clubs with resources way beyond ours.”
Saints defender Declan Gallagher, meanwhile, revealed his family ties with Dundee which adds another element of rivalry to this weekend’s cup tie in Paisley.
The 31-year Scotland international met his wife Nikki when he played for the Dark Blues between 2012 and 2014 and they still live in the city.
The former Livingston, Motherwell and Aberdeen player said: “I had a great time in Dundee and I still stay there.
“I have stayed there most of my career since I signed there at 19. It was the first team I was at where I played in the Premiership.
“We got relegated that season but won the Championship next season.
“I met my wife through that, her father Steve Martin, was a director at the club at the time so I have a lot of good connections there as well.
“It is a big game for me and the connections there and hopefully I can get one over on the other side of the family.
“But there will be no split-loyalties with my wife at all. She will be 100 per cent a fan of me, a St Mirren fan, she will have the kids dressed up in the St Mirren kit as always.
“In fact, they have got hospitality this weekend with her father. He won’t be supporting me right enough, he will be supporting Dundee.
“But there will be no mixed signals in my house, it will be all St Mirren.”
Gallagher revealed his desire for a long-awaited cup run.
He said: “I have done a lot of things in my career, I have won promotions, I have had relegations, I have played for my country, I have done a lot of things but one thing I have never done is have a good cup run and get to Hampden and it is something I would like to experience in my career.
“It can make you a hero at this club. You see the photos on the wall at St Mirren and how well previous teams here have done in the cup and how the players are remembered.
“It all starts here on Saturday and it is going to be a really tough game.”
Marcus Fraser returns from suspension. Forward Jonah Ayunga (hamstring) and full-back Richard Tait (groin) are working their way back to fitness.
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