Dundee United are delighted to announce the signing of Ruari Paton, who joins the Terrors on loan until the end of the 2024/25 campaign, subject to both international and SFA clearance.

Hailing from Carpenterstown on the outskirts of Dublin, Paton spent his formative years representing a variety of local boys’ clubs, whilst also being capped for his homeland at U16 level.

He caught the eye of Hibernian, and ventured across the Irish Sea in 2016 after the Easter Road outfit tabled his first professional contract.

Two years developing in the capital preceded a brief stint with East Kilbride, where he balanced his goalscoring duties with a labouring job in the South Lanarkshire town.

The frontman’s career kickstarted upon his arrival at Stranraer, where he grabbed ten goals and three assists to bolster The Blues’ promotion push. 

Stephen Farrell’s men reached the Semi-Final of the play-offs, ultimately losing out to Dumbarton.

Fellow Dumfries and Galloway-based side Queen of the South took notice of his prolificacy, which persisted at Palmerston. 2022/23 saw Paton named in the PFA Scotland League One Team of the Year, rounding off a scintillating season with 25 strikes to his name.

His meteoric rise through the SPFL pyramid continued following a move to Scotland’s oldest club, Queen’s Park, in the summer of 2023. 

The Irishman grabbed his first professional hat-trick in a rout of Elgin City in the Premier Sports Cup just four weeks after pitching up at the National Stadium - a sign of things to come.

Paton would ripple the net in all but one of the Spiders’ league fixtures throughout August, a return which saw him receive the Player of the Month Award for the second tier.

Over one-third of Queen’s Park’s goals last term were tucked away by our new number 21, finishing 2024/25 with a tally of 22 in all competitions. It can be argued his strikes single-handedly kept them in the division.

Unsurprisingly, more critical acclaim followed, as he found himself named one of four nominees for the PFA Scotland Championship Player of the Year, alongside United colleague Louis Moult.

The 24-year-old arrives with 24 appearances to his name so far this season south of the border - ready to make an instant impact on Tannadice Street.

CAPABLE OF CHANGING GAMES AT THE DROP OF A HAT

After securing his first signing of the January transfer window, Dundee United Manager, Jim Goodwin, said: “Ruari is a player who has been on our radar for a considerable period of time, having witnessed his talents firsthand throughout last season whilst he was lighting up the Championship at Queen’s Park.

“With players such as Kevin Holt, Ross Docherty and Declan Gallagher able to make the transition to top-flight football seamlessly over the summer, I have no doubts our new addition will be able to emulate their success.”

He continued: “Able to spin into the channels or hold the ball up with his back to goal and bring his teammates into play, Ruari can serve a multitude of purposes at the top end of the pitch, and is capable of changing games at the drop of a hat.

“He’s exactly the type of player and person we look to strengthen our group with, and I speak on behalf of everybody at the club when I say we’re extremely excited to work with him during the remainder of 2024/25.”

JOINING A SIDE THAT’S SUCCESSFUL AND AMBITIOUS

Paton himself added: “I feel brilliant! Having the opportunity to come to a place like this at a time when we are flying high in the Premiership made it a no-brainer.

“As a player, you want to come into a side that’s successful and ambitious, and that’s exactly where Dundee United are. 

I want to add to that by making a good team better. I think I can bring other people into the game as well as scoring goals - I don’t believe in being selfish. I can’t wait to get going!

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Hear more from Ruari as he speaks exclusively with DUTV after signing on the dotted line with the Terrors!

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