Caley Thistle manager Richie Foran says David Raven’s strong off-field influence was key to the right back being handed a six-month contract extension.
Raven this week signed a new deal which will keep him at Caledonian Stadium until January 2018, despite being sidelined since October following successive head and knee injuries.
The Englishman has made 149 appearances for Caley Jags since his move from Tranmere Rovers in 2012 but, having found appearances limited in the last 12 months, the 31-year-old has started to assist with coaching sessions for some of the club’s younger players.
Foran was eager to retain Raven’s services but also feels he still has a role to play on the field as well.
Foran said: “David is a good professional. He’s good around the place, he’s good with the young kids.
“He does a bit of coaching and he’s the kind of guy we need to keep around the place for longer.
“He’s a really good defender, one of our best defenders in a one-against-one situation. He reads the game really well.”
Having already secured the signings of Estonian international forward Henri Anier and young Irish attacker Dean Ebbe during the January transfer window, Foran remains keen to add to his squad prior to the January 31 deadline.
With Inverness bottom of the Scottish Premiership table, Foran says he is prepared to mix it up in an effort to improve results, having failed to register a victory in their last 10 games.
Foran added: “We needed more competition up front and some pace as well. Henri brings that – he’s got power, presence and goals in him.
“It was his pace we really needed up front, we’ve been lacking that.
“It gives us the option to change our shape if we want and go a bit more direct at times.
“Our position in the table is not great, so we need to mix it up now. We’ve tried a lot of things over the season, we’ve tried different shapes, but now we can try another one.”