MARK BURCHILL, the Livingston manager, believes he has signed a player good enough for the Ladbrokes Premiership after snapping up freed Aberdeen midfielder Kieran Gibbons.
The 20-year-old, who made just one substitute's appearance for the Aberdeen first team, captained the Pittodrie club's under-20s side to their league title last season and Burchill did not expect the youngster to become available.
However, with Gibbons being released because of a mixture of finances and the number of players ahead of him in the midfield pecking order, Burchill is thrilled to have beaten off competition for his signature.
"Kieran is a player I've known about for a while," Burchill said. "I watched him three or four times last season and thought he would have been offered a deal at Aberdeen.
"When I knew he was available we got him in for a couple of days' training and after the first day I knew I wanted to offer him a contract.
"I'm delighted to have got it over the line because I know there was a lot of interest in him and I definitely see him playing for the first-team in the coming season.
"I'm sure had he been at about seven or eight Premier League teams other than Aberdeen last season he would have played more often."
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