Dundee United defender Luca Stephenson spoke to the broadcast media ahead of our William Hill Premiership battle with Kilmarnock.

Our number 17 discussed ensuring our opponents aren't underestimated, his development as a player so far, dialogue with Premier League parent club Liverpool and our Scottish Cup Fourth Round tie with our city rivals.

ON GENERAL THOUGHTS HEADING INTO MATCHDAY 15:

It’ll be a tough battle. I think if it's anything like when we played them at their place at the start of the season, it's going to be a tough game. They got beat heavily on Wednesday, but I don't think you can look at that too much.

They're going to be similar to St Mirren. It’ll be a physical game, they've got some big lads, good runners with good energy. 

ON WHETHER KILMARNOCK’S RESULT AT IBROX WILL LIGHT A FIRE UNDER THEM: 

The manager will be looking for a reaction from them. I think sometimes you would rather it be a little less of a scoreline!

They're going to come out of the traps flying, but we've just got to be ready for that and go punch-for-punch with them.

ON STAYING GROUNDED DESPITE THE FLYING START:

The main thing is not getting carried away with our start. If we tail off now, then it's just going to be a bang-average season. That's not what we want.

We want to keep on pushing and putting more wins and points on the board. We're not going to do that if we get carried away with ourselves and start looking at the league table and form. 

We just need to concentrate on what we've been doing. 

ON KEEPING AN EYE ON THE TEAMS ABOVE OURSELVES IN THE TABLE:

You look at the teams above as much as you do below if you ever do look at the league table. You've got to aspire to be up there. If we're just going to look and say ‘fourth or fifth is the best we're ever going to get', then I don't know what the point is. You've got to aspire to be up there.

Again, we don't look at the league table, but if Aberdeen keep on dropping points and we can challenge for those places up there, then brilliant. 

At the minute, there’s a long way to the end of the season. We’re not in March or April - we've still got a long way to. That's a distant thought at the minute. 

ON HOW MUCH HE’S ENJOYING HIS TIME AT DUNDEE UNITED:

Loads! I think if you're playing and the team's playing well, normally you're happy.

I’ve been playing from the start of every game and the gaffer's given me the freedom to go and play different roles to go and express myself - that's all I can ask for really. 

It helps that the team are doing well and I'm doing well on top of that. It just makes it more enjoyable to be around.

Nobody wants to come on loan and be part of a team that's at the bottom of the league and not playing well. 

Even if you are playing, you're dreading going into every game because you don't want to lose. We’re going into games, enjoying them and relishing the opportunity to go and play more games and more minutes to impress people.

ON HOW BENEFICIAL HAS THE LOAN SPELL BEEN SO FAR:

It’s been massive. I said at the start of the season before I came up here that this was the next step in my career. I was in League Two last year and this has been a step up in terms of level of opposition and the publicity you get up here. 

I think I've had a good start and hopefully I'm showing people that I'm good enough for this level. In future years I want to go and play at a higher level and at the minute I'm doing well.

ON DIALOGUE WITH LIVERPOOL:

I’m in a little group chat with the loans manager down there and a few of the U21s staff. I let them know if I'm playing every week and then they'll tune in to the games. 

Luckily enough I've been playing in all of them so they've been sending pictures of them watching on DUTV! They tune in to all the games and I always open my phone at five o'clock when the game is finished with a boatload of messages if I’ve scored. 

They keep in regular contact without being too on top of me and let me just enjoy being out on loan and the experiences that it's bringing. 

ON SAM DALBY BEING NAMED WILLIAM HILL PREMIERSHIP PLAYER OF THE MONTH FOR NOVEMBER:

 It's brilliant. Dalbs has been really good since he came in. It took maybe the first couple of weeks for him to settle and he hadn't played too much football before he came here last season. 

He's hit the ground running and it always helps when the team is doing well. I feel confident, and no doubt he does, to go and perform.

It's even better that it's a fellow loan player doing well as well. He’s come in, similar to me, you don't know what next season will hold being a loan player. It shows the platform that we've been given by the rest of the group.

We all want to be here, we're all going for the same goal. It doesn't matter whether we're going to be here for the next couple of years or here for a year.

Whatever the future holds, we've got that platform to go and enjoy yourself. 

ON PLAYING IN SEVERAL POSITIONS:

I honestly don't mind - I'll play anywhere. It's what I've done throughout my youth career. I’ve played as a full-back, wing-back, midfielder and centre-back at times. 

I just enjoy playing football, it doesn't really matter whereabouts on the pitch. I feel like I've got a good understanding of the game and know the different roles well.

Wherever I get put on Saturday I'm happy to go and do the job. 

ON TURNING TANNADICE INTO A FORTRESS:

Hopefully, we can continue that this weekend. The most important thing in the league is putting points on the board at home. I think the fans have been magnificent this season in terms of getting behind us.

Our home record has been really good this year. I can only remember us losing a couple of games at home. When you play a few games on the road and you come back home, you notice the boost and the extra energy the fans give you.

 ON WHETHER HE’S PERFORMED BEYOND HIS OWN EXPECTATIONS:

A little bit, yes. I wanted to come up here and play and I had confidence in myself that I was going to come up here and take the shirt and go and play every week. 

I'm not going to expect to play every single game for the rest of the season. There will be bumps along the road and maybe drop in form.

I might be out of the team at some stage but at the minute that hasn't happened yet. So as long as I can keep that going I'll be more than happy.

ON HIS DEVELOPMENT SINCE COMING TO TANNADICE:

I can already tell how much it's lifted my game and my profile. I want to keep that going for the rest of the season, but we're only at the start of December and I can notice the difference in my game.

My better physicality is adapting to the men's game. Last season was my first year in the men's game and, I didn't struggle, but it was new for me. 

This season I feel like I can take it in my stride a lot more and I'm understanding a lot more about the men's game and what I have to do.

By the end of the season, another four or five months, I’ll only keep getting better as well. 

ON OUR SCOTTISH CUP FOURTH ROUND DRAW:

It’s great! Those are the draws you want. I think everybody might argue you want somebody from the lower tiers and an easy game at home but everybody wants to be part of a Dundee Derby.

It’s a chance to go and make a bit of history for yourself and be remembered for a long time. These are definitely the opportunities you want. It’s something to look forward to!

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