East Kilbride boss Kevin Rutkiewicz expects to give former Hamilton Accies winger Kyle Munro a platform to shine on and says he has 'untapped potential'.
The former Aberdeen and St Johnstone defender insists nothing surprises him in football, but he’s stunned that clubs weren’t battering down Munro’s door in a bid to sign him.
Munro, 20, has signed for a year at K-Park after a contract offer was seemingly withdrawn at New Douglas Park, and Rutkiewicz admits if the versatile star plays to his potential, he will undoubtedly lose him.
But he’s looking forward to working with a player he has been trying to land for some time.
Rutkiewicz said: “I’m not surprised that we got Kyle, because nothing surprises you in football.
“I’m surprised about how quickly we got in and got the deal done. I’m surprised there wasn’t a plethora of clubs banging on his door.
“With Kyle being the type he is, I’m surprised there wasn’t more of a clamour.
“Kyle is a player I’ve been watching for three-and-a-half years.
“I watched Kyle at his first loan spell at Clydebank and tapped him up through Hamilton for a loan deal at Stirling Albion.
“Unfortunately for us he made a break-through against Rangers, scored against Livingston, and the rest is history.
“It curtailed any loan deal, because at that time he was seen as a real prospect.
“Things have changed, I think Hamilton as a club have been hurting, just in their own journey, and we’re respectful of that.
“Sometimes getting relegated puts you in a position where you have to trim the squad, and make some decisions that you don’t necessarily want to make.
“But I think in Kyle what we’ve got is a player with untapped potential, a ceiling that nobody really knows.
“He’s obviously had a bit of exposure at Premiership and Championship level, he’s been on loan at Clydebank, and I think we’ll all find out his level in the next 10 to 11 months.
“I’m hoping he comes here and we can give him a platform to shine.”
Rutkiewicz feels he can further develop Munro as a player, and after that it’s up to him.
He said: “Kyle can cover left-back, right-wing, left-wing; there’s loads of flexibility in his game and he’s a powerful athlete.
“He’s one on that curve in the younger bracket, where we hope we can develop him and give him that platform.
“If we do that and Kyle ticks all the boxes that he can tick, then I think we’ll struggle to hold onto him.”
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