Stuart McKinstry reckons Motherwell have assembled their best squad in years after an impressive summer transfer window.
The 19-year-old Leeds United loanee is one of eight signings made by the club and the boyhood Motherwell fan believes bringing the likes of Louis Moult back to ML1 for a second spell has been a masterstroke.
Fellow midfielders Blair Spittal and Rolando Aarons have also arrived, along with defenders Paul McGinn and Matt Penney, plus forward Josh Morris and goalkeeper Aston Oxborough.
New boss Steven Hammell has also added to the feelgood factor around Fir Park after stepping up from head of the academy to replace Graham Alexander on a permanent basis last month.
And having kept a close eye on his local club in recent years while at Leeds, the winger from Wishaw believes the Steelmen are in a strong position for a top four push in the Premiership this season.
He told Lanarkshire Live Sport : "In my opinion, this is one of the best teams I've seen in a while at Motherwell.
"I think the boost the club has had over the past couple of weeks, especially with the new manager coming in, I've not seen it as good as this in a while.
"I'm hoping the boys can really push on and not just get top six this season, but try and push as high up the table as we can.
"I think we've got the squad to do it and at the moment it's just about taking our chances to actually do that."
McKinstry made his league debut on Saturday in a frustrating 0-0 draw with Dundee United.
Motherwell dominated but couldn't make the most of some clear-cut chances, including a penalty which Kevin van Veen saw saved by Carljohan Eriksson.
A trip to Dingwall and a clash with Ross County now awaits, but he is confident they will bounce back after two games without a victory in the Premiership.
He added: "Ross County is not an easy place to go but it's a game I think we can definitely go and get a result in.
"If we play like we did against Dundee United I don't think we'll have any issues, we just need to take our chances.
"I'm sure we can get back to winning ways on Saturday."
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