JIM McINTYRE believes the Ross County team would have been failing in their jobs had they not helped Liam Boyce advance to the next level in his career.
The Ulster international, who joined English Championship side Burton Albion in a £500,000 deal on Tuesday, will leave a massive hole in the Dingwall club’s attack.
He finished top club scorer for the past three seasons, racking up 55 goals in 117 appearances.
But McIntyre insists he and assistant manager Billy Dodds have a duty to develop all talent and potential at their disposal to the fullest, even if that means losing the player to a cut-price deal.
Boyce was able to talk to Burton with a year left on his contract after they activated a release clause in his contract by upping their bid by £50,000. from £450,000.
The 26-year-old finished top Premiership scorer on 24 goals and recently claimed his first international goal against New Zealand.
McIntyre now aims to sign a new striker. The County manager said: “Any player who scores 24 goals for a team is going to be a huge loss. But, at the same time, I understand that when an English Championship club comes in, it’s always going to be difficult to hold on to our player because of the resources they have.
“They’re able to pay a transfer fee, and there’s the salary down south. Of course I’m disappointed for County and for the team, but I’m pleased for Liam because, like Jackson Irvine last season, we want to see players move on to the next level.”
McIntyre sees a silver lining for County strikers who have worked in Boyce’s shadow, with Alex Schalk, Craig Curran and Greg Morrison all tied up for next season.
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