With Motherwell’s victory against Kilmarnock last time out being the first that the Steelmen have achieved in the league without Stephen Pearson since he returned to the club in January, manager Ian Baraclough knew how important it was to bolster his midfield to compensate for the loss of the former Scotland man to an ongoing knee injury.

Few would have expected though that Baraclough’s latest recruit would be plucked from the Manchester United under-21 side, far less that he would manage to land the captain of that team.

With the loan signing of Liam Grimshaw though, he has done exactly that, and now he has challenged the Old Trafford starlet to show why his arrival is such a massive coup for the Fir Park side.

“He has got an older head on young shoulders,” Baraclough said.

“He’s an old-fashioned type that likes to put his foot in, likes to break things up and likes to keep it simple.

“He’s been well schooled and they obviously think quite a bit of him down there.

“They will have seen that we’ve brought players up here before, looked after them and they’ve gone back better players. They trust their player with us.

“It can be seen as a coup but the lad has got to go and perform with us. That’s what we’re challenging him to do and that’s what Manchester United are doing.

“They’ve seen him in the under-21s, he’s not had a chance in the first team, so it’s about moving to the next level for him.

“We’re bringing him into a first-team environment that he’s not getting back at his club, and he’s of an age now where he needs to be in and around a first-team squad.

“I’ve said to Liam and the other boys that have come up that there’s a bit more aggression, a bit more pace about the game than in the under-21s that they’ve come from.

“They’ll get less time on the ball, and they’ve got to be ready for that.

“He had a short loan at Morecambe and didn’t play because he got an early injury, but that told me that he’s not someone who is comfortable just stopping at Manchester United, he wants to get out and play games.

“When I spoke to him I saw that hunger and there’s a real tenacity to his game as well. He’s got to get used to it though, and he’s got to get used to it quick.

“He’s bedded in with the rest of the group very well, he’s not above his station. He’s not a Man United player that thinks he’s better than anyone else that’s here, and that’s great to see.”