Dundee United full-back Will Ferry could be just what Celtic need as deadline day approaches

Whatever else he does in a career that looks set to take off in a big way, Will Ferry is unlikely to score a better or more meaningful goal than he did at Rugby Park yesterday.

Sure, it was merely the third in a 4-0 romp, which gave Dundee United their first league win of the season and added to the pressure on Kilmarnock boss Neil McCann.

But it was a strike of outstanding quality, teed up with a clever chop inside and ripped high into the far corner of the net with what is supposed to be his weaker foot.

More to the point, it was delivered with impeccable timing, coming just five days before the closure of a transfer window that could be his last at Tannadice.

The 25-year-old left-back has already been the subject of a £1.7million bid this season, when United agreed a deal with Czech club Sigma Olomouc.

Ferry decided against that move but if a more attractive buyer were to come up with the same money between now and Thursday night, it would be a different matter.

No prizes for guessing who that might be. Celtic have been repeatedly linked with the young Ireland international, so much so that they are under mounting pressure to seal a deal.

After all, it’s not a lot of money for a player who knows the Scottish league and is similar in style to Kieran Tierney, for whom he would provide cover.

Tierney is fragile these days and cannot be expected to start every week, never mind see out every game. Marcelo Saracchi was the solution last season, but Celtic decided – rather surprisingly – not to make his loan deal permanent.

The Parkhead club have other targets, of course, but will those options be as safe a purchase as the Bury-born player who left Cheltenham Town to sign a three-year contract with United in 2024?

His body of work is being put together right under Celtic’s noses. He scored against them in March, and here he was yesterday, producing not just an outstanding goal, but an impressive all-round performance as Killie were put to the sword.

In a dynamic display that gave United an extra dimension in attack, Ferry also set up the fourth goal with a delicious ball that found Jesse Randall at the back post.

It certainly had an impact on former Celtic captain Scott Brown, who suggested on BBC’s Sportscene programme that Ferry would be the perfect signing for his old club.

‘He’s similar to Kieran,’ said Brown. ‘He’s powerful, he wants to drive forward, very good crosser of the ball.

‘A lot of people naturally think he just wants to go forward all the time, but he’s a very, very good defender. That’s what Kieran is as well. 

'It would be a very good move for Celtic if they go and snap him up, because there's been a bid for £1.7m already, and he didn't want to go.

'It's quite a cheap option to go and hopefully get a player who knows the league.'