Peterhead boss Jim McInally reckons striker Russell McLean has got what it takes to play at a higher level.
McLean has 13 goals this season and has found the net in his last two games, after a brief spell out of the team.
He had a spell in full-time football earlier in his career with Hearts but has played mainly with part-time clubs in East Kilbride, Peterhead and Montrose.
McInally feels McLean, at 23, still has time on his side to prove he can play at a higher level.
He said: “Russell has shown in the last couple of games that when he’s really at it, he can be hard to play against.
“He’s still a young player and even though he probably wouldn’t admit, he’s still learning to a certain extent.
“If he can consistently add hard work-rate to his performances, I keep telling him he could move back up the way.
“He’s a good finisher, a good link player and got good pace about him. He just needs to do it more consistently.
“Russell has got the advantage of being six-foot-four and the sooner he realises that, the better for him.”
McLean fits the mould for the type of player Peterhead are trying to build around now, being in their early-20s with the scope to improve.
He returned to Balmoor at the start of this season and has taken the mantle of the club’s main striker, leading the goalscoring charts ahead of captain Scott Brown.
Meanwhile, McInally said there was nothing concrete yet regarding the Open Goal podcast, which midfielder Simon Ferry is heavily involved in, taking over at Lowland League side Broomhill.
Ferry is a player-coach at Peterhead alongside his duties with the podcast, which has branched into live shows and they were at the Blue Toon’s Scottish Cup tie with Dundee last month.
“Simon is contracted to Peterhead for next season and if that situation was to change, someone would have to let us know,” said McInally. “But that’s not happened yet.”
Peterhead are assessing striker Niah Payne ahead of the weekend’s game against Cove Rangers, after he went off in the defeat to Queen’s Park with a head injury.