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PETER MacDONALD reckons teenage star Craig Wighton can help fire Dundee back into the top flight.

But the striker fears the kid is so good that he could be lured away before the Dark Blues even kick a ball in the Premiership.

Veteran MacDonald rates the 16-year-old as the best prospect he has ever seen and believes Wighton will play a key role in the Championship run-in.

Paul Hartley’s men have to hold their nerve for just three more fixtures to seal a quickfire return to the top.

While there has been plenty of talk about Dundee United’s emerging talents this season, one of the youngsters at Dens is really exciting MacDonald.

The former St Johnstone and Morton striker – one of four nominees for the Cheque Centre PFA Scotland Championship Player of the Year – believes the sky is the limit for Wighton if he can keep his feet on the ground.

MacDonald said: “Playing with Craig is great – he’s teaching me a few things! He’s absolutely outstanding for his age.

“He’s the best I’ve seen or played with at 16 – and I include my time at Rangers where there were a lot of good players.

“He has pace, he’s filling out and he has an amazing brain. He’s a step ahead of everyone. In fact, if the money is right then I don’t think he’ll be here at the start of the season. He’s that good.

“I played with Stephen Hughes at Rangers – who was outstanding at a young age before injuries hampered him – and Allan McGregor but Craig is ahead of them all.

“I haven’t seen Ryan Gauld or John Souttar much at United but I have no doubt they are very good young players. I can only speak about Craig and if you ask anyone in the Dundee team they’ll tell you how amazing he is.

“I can’t believe he’s 16. He still does all his jobs with the rest of the boys. He doesn’t get changed with the first team except on matchdays and the gaffer will keep his feet on the ground.

“He’s a special talent and so level-headed. Even when he goes about the park he doesn’t speak to the first-team boys despite training with us every day.

“He’ll come out of his shell in a couple of years when he realises how good he is and potentially how good he can be.

“We have another boy Cammy Kerr, who plays right-back, and I thought he was man of the match against Cowdenbeath on Saturday but Wighton got it because he scored a good goal.

“It’s great for me to play with him up front and everyone says he does all my running because I’m twice his age!

“Seriously, I’m more central and he plays round about me. There are a few strikers with experience such as myself, Christian Nade and Craig Beattie so he’ll learn.

“The gaffer wasn’t too bad either as a player so Craig will learn from everyone at the club and it’s up to him how far he goes. He has everything.”

Dundee are two points ahead of Hamilton in the title chase and MacDonald is hoping to make up for the pain of last season when Partick Thistle pipped his Morton side to promotion.

The Dark Blues head to Cappielow for their next game and Peaso is confident they won’t wobble against his old club.

The 33-year-old said: “We have three massive games – win them all and we’re champions.

“We have Hamilton and Falkirk chasing us and they won’t give up until that final whistle.

“With all due respect to the Morton team I played in last season, this is a better squad of players with more experience.

“Falkirk and Hamilton have pushed us but if we win all of our games then it’s irrelevant what they do.”

MacDonald has been impressed by gaffer Hartley who replaced his old Rangers youth coach John Brown back in February.

And the striker admitted the new Dens Park boss was surprised at the squad’s fitness levels after hearing rumours to the contrary.

He said: “The gaffer came in and gave us a mini pre-season because he heard we weren’t fit enough but after a couple of weeks he was surprised at how fit we were.

“So he told us the rumours clearly weren’t true.

“He brought in Tom Ritchie as a fitness coach and everything is high intensity with him. It might only be eight-minute sessions with him but it’s really tough stuff and we are reaping the rewards.

“I loved my time with John Brown and people said it was a risk him signing me in the summer. I felt I had a bit of a point to prove at the start of the season because people saw me as an injury-prone 32-year-old joining a massive club in Dundee.

“You’re always going to get questions asked but I feel fitter now than I did at St Johnstone.

“I look after myself better – I’m on top of my diet and cycle more than I run – and I’m definitely feeling the benefits.

“Paul just wants us to attack and it’s a case of so far, so good. He doesn’t talk about his own achievements as a player. He’s not someone who will big himself up. He’s more about team ethic.

“I’m enjoying it and have an option in my contract where I can decide if I want another season.

“I’ve always fancied going abroad but I recently became a dad to a wee boy and that changes things."