Caley Thistle manager John Robertson hopes forward Elgin City striker Shane Sutherland can take his prolific goalscoring through the leagues when he rejoins Inverness in the summer.
Sutherland has penned a pre-contract with the Highlanders to join in the summer, seven years after the Wick-born forward was released from Caledonian Stadium.
The 29-year-old has netted 95 goals in 200 appearances across four spells with League 2 City, and Robertson insists Sutherland is deserving of another chance with his Championship side.
Robertson said: “Shane is a player the club know well. I have seen him over the years and I think he deserves an opportunity at a higher level.
“I look at other lads like Lawrence Shankland and Aidan Nesbitt who have scored at lower league level and taken that into the Championship, while Stephen Dobbie has scored goals over the years.
“Looking at Shane’s goal record, it’s very impressive. He’s a local lad, who is hungry and wants to get back to full-time football. He has lost his way in terms of full-time football and realises this is a massive opportunity for him.”
Robertson insists Sutherland must remain focused on maintaining his form for Gavin Price’s promotion chasing Black and Whites, adding: “He’s still an Elgin City player. We have emphasised the point he has to put everything on the backburner and work extremely hard for Elgin between now and the end of the season.
“That’s where he is – and if any of our boys sign pre-contracts we would expect them to be exactly the same.”