Dundee United boss Robbie Neilson is adamant that star man Lawrence Shankland will not be sold in the January window.

The 24-year-old only arrived at Tannadice in the summer but he has made an instant impression with the Scottish Premiership side, scoring 17 goals in 13 league games to help the side to the top of the table.

His excellent form has seen the striker rewarded with a call-up to the Scotland squad and he has been linked with a host of clubs, including Nottingham Forest.

The Sun claimed that Sabri Lamouchi's men were considering moving for the £2m-rated player in the New Year but Neilson told the BBC that Dundee United have no plans to lose the key man in the summer.

"I don't think there will be any bids getting entertained in January, that is for sure. The owner [Mark Ogren] was over last month and spoke about the importance of keeping Lawrence and making sure that we get ourselves out of this league.

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"Every player has his price but the value of going up would heavily outweigh that, not just financially but also the prestige and with the fans. I expect him to be here at the start of February."

Shankland will be hoping to win a third cap for his country when Steve Clarke's side face Cyprus on Saturday.

The verdict

I'm not sure you can read too much into this. Firstly, Dundee United are obviously going to want to keep Shankland because he has been brilliant for them.

And, by making strong statements like this it shows that they don't want to let him go on the cheap.

Ultimately though, we all know money talks and the Scottish second-tier side may not be able to resist big bids in January but they are right to demand a significant fee for the striker.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.