Stephen Robinson: St Mirren have one of the best midfields in the Premiership

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson believes new signing Keanu Baccus is returning to the club to join arguably the second-best midfield in Scotland.

Baccus became St Mirren’s ninth signing of the season this week when he signed from Mansfield, returning to the club where he thrived under Robinson.

He will now compete for a place in the heart of a side that has punched above their weight to be a top six side for the last three seasons, and Robinson believes a lot of that success has come from the quality in that area of the team.

The manager believes that he has a midfield that maybe only Premiership champions Celtic can better, and can go toe-to-toe with anyone in Scotland.

“The strength we’ve got in there makes it arguably, for me, one of the best midfields in the league now,” Robinson said.

“It’s amazing to say that as manager of St Mirren, and it gives us a real base to build from.

“I genuinely believe, perhaps outwith Celtic, we’ve got five really, really good players.

“Killian Phillips, who is on fire at the moment and is a full international footballer. Keanu Baccus now a full international. Captain Mark O’Hara, Liam Donnelly and Oisin Smith.

“I believe we’ve got really, really good midfield players who can match anybody on their day.”

Robinson was delighted to have brought Baccus back to the club and said he had no hesitation in acting when he learned a deal might be possible. And he thinks it’s the perfect place for the Australian international to recapture his best form and build on that.

We stay in touch with all the players that leave the football club, so we knew there may be an opportunity that we could get Keanu back again,” he said. “When we found out, we moved straight away.

“He’s a very, very good addition to the squad. Keanu knows exactly what way we play. He knows the expectations at the football club now. So he’ll slot right in there and be a big part of the squad.

“He’s found a home here. He’s loved here. Fans love him, the staff love him, the players love him, and he got a brilliant welcome when he came in the door from the boys.

“Sometimes things just work for you, sometimes you just fit in certain places, and we believe Keanu works very well at this football club, and we aim to get him back into that international squad.

“Obviously, Keanu aims to do that, but we aim to give him the platform to do that, and we believe when he’s happy on and off the pitch, then we’ll get a very, very good player.

“People think there are big games in League One, and then you come and you play Celtic and Rangers, Aberdeen, Hibs, Hearts away from home, Dundee United. It’s a big stage to play on.

“It certainly put him on the international stage before, and he went to the World Cup.”

While Baccus arrives in Paisley, two players are heading through the exit door. Defender Alex Iacovitti has joined Ross County on a permanent deal, while attacker James Scott is to leave the Buddies for a season-long loan.