Jim Goodwin admits the leadership qualities of David Babunski have exceeded even his lofty expectations.
The Dundee United boss has lavished praise on the classy Macedonian, who has been sporting the captain’s armband in the absence of Ross Docherty.
Babunski notched his third goal for the Tangerines in Saturday’s dramatic draw against Ross County but – speaking to DUTV in the aftermath – was critical of his own showing, noting: “I want to take responsibility.
“I have to help the team play and dictate the tempo of the game. I made a couple of mistakes early on.”
That level of self-reflection does not surprise Goodwin, who has described the Barcelona academy graduate as “a role model” to the younger players learning their trade at Tannadice.
“David’s a really honest professional and hard worker,” said the United gaffer. “The standards that he sets in training; the way he looks after himself – he’s a real role model to the younger members of the group.
“He does so much off the pitch that puts him in the position, and in the condition, to be able to perform at his level.
“I can imagine what he’s saying (about his performance against County), and he’ll look at himself first before pointing the finger at others. He’s the first person to hold his hand up.
“I knew he was a leader. I knew he was a top pro. He’s actually even more of a leader than we had anticipated and is loving life here.”
And Goodwin reckons Babunski’s early success has come despite United failing to control games in the engine room to his satisfaction.
He added: “I think that’s probably the one criticism in the last couple of games that we haven’t been able to get the likes of Babunski and Sibbald and these types of guys on the ball enough to be able to control the game a bit more.”
Grabbing the headlines
Babunski’s compatriot Kristijan Trapanovski has been similarly impactful in the early stages of his United career, notching four goals in six outings and becoming an immediate hit with the Tannadice faithful due to his creativity and work ethic.
And Goodwin is hopeful both men will be recognised with a call-up to the next North Macedonia squad to face Faroe Islands and Armenia next month.
“They’ve both been grabbing the headlines by scoring and assisting goals,” added Goodwin. “I would like to think that the national team manager of North Macedonia is keeping a close eye on both.
“There’s a lot of football to be played between now and then. The important thing for the guys is that they continue to perform well for Dundee United. If they do that, they’ll get that international recognition off the back of it.”
