FORMER St Mirren chief Tony Fitzpatrick has hailed Dylan Reid for making a "sensible decision" by turning down a transfer to Celtic.

The Saints youngster was heavily linked with a move away from Paisley this summer, but instead, he penned a new deal at his current club.

Fitzpatrick was delighted with Reid's choice as he believes St Mirren is the perfect club for his development at this stage in his career.

Fitzpatrick told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “Reid has got power, pace, intelligence and technical ability.

“I remember watching him coming through the different youth age groups in the academy and thinking ‘this boy will be a special player’.

“He’s got a top mindset as a footballer and off the pitch. A lot of kids would run to the bright lights and a lot of them disappear.

“But he’s single-minded when it comes to his football and he’s made such a sensible decision.

“He’s not just diving in to a club like Celtic or Rangers when he’s not ready to challenge to get in their first team.

“I’ve no doubt he’ll move on at some point down the line, but it will be when it’s the right time for him.

“When he played against Celtic last season he was up against Tom Rogic, who was on fire at that point, in very difficult circumstances but he took care of him that night.

“Reid sees he’ll get opportunities here and he knows his future is bright here. He wants to show people what he can do.

“He’s captained Scotland through the age groups so far because he’s a leader. I’ve always thought he’ll be a future Saints captain.”