Ross County midfielder Rafa De Vita reckons it is too early for the Staggies to dream of a top-six finish in the Scottish Premiership this season.
The Dingwall side currently sit fifth in the table, having taken seven points from their opening five matches, defeating Kilmarnock 4-0 at Rugby Park in their last league outing.
County host struggling Dundee United this afternoon but Italian midfielder De Vita is refusing to get carried away.
De Vita said: “It would be a bit stupid for us to think we’ve proved anything. We still have a lot of points to collect, a lot of wins.
“There will be a lot of hard matches where we have the chance to prove we’re a side that can aim for the top six but right now it would be foolish to start saying we’re going to be there.
“We’ve only played five games. There’s a lot of football to be played.”
United, by contrast, have struggled so far this season, with just one win from their first five matches.
De Vita is convinced Jackie McNamara’s side will turn things around and added: “They are one of the best teams in Scotland, even though they’ve not had a decent start by their standards.
“They’re still a really good team. A lot of people are saying we’re looking stronger than them but we can’t underestimate them.
“They’re going to be as good as Hearts and the teams at the top end of the table. They still have a lot of talent and quality in the team, so we’ll need to be aware of that.”
De Vita was replaced by Englishman Jonathan Franks for last week’s trip to Killie, with the debutant scoring the Staggies’ second goal just four minutes into the match.
Although De Vita was restored for Tuesday’s 2-0 League Cup victory against Ayr United, the 27-year-old is taking nothing for granted given the options at manager Jim McIntyre’s disposal.
De Vita added: “If everyone is fit from last Saturday, it is fair for them to start the game as they did fantastically well. We’ll see what happens. It was good to get a start again on Tuesday, so I’ll wait and see.
“Jonathan came into the team at Killie and scored and I’m delighted for him. He’s not been in the team or the squad a few times, yet has always been right behind the lads.
“That’s what we need. He’s been looking really happy just to see the team doing well. Everyone needs to show the same level of support when other guys play in their place.”