Dundee United boss admits future of on-loan Luton keeper is 'up in the air'
Walton has seen his contract extended at Kenilworth Road
Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin admits the future of on-loan Luton keeper Jack Walton is ‘up in the air’ following his contract extension with the Hatters last week.
The Town stopper returned to the Scottish Premier League side on a season-long loan in the summer, having helped the Terrors win the Scottish Championship title last term, setting a new club record for league clean sheets in the process. He has not missed a single minute of league football since, playing in all 41 league matches so far, keeping 12 shut-outs, including one against champions Celtic in December.
Although Walton is yet to play for the Hatters since moving to Kenilworth Road from Barnsley in January 2023, the 27-year-old had his contract extended at Kenilworth Road for another 12 months, meaning that if United want to sign him permanently, they will now have to pay a fee for his services. Speaking to the Dundee Courier, Goodwin admitted he isn’t sure what will happen regarding hopes that the stopper, who made 83 appearances for the club, will head north of the border for a third spell, as he said: “It (hopes of keeping Walton) is up in the air.
“Luton Town have triggered the option and with that, Jack will remain a Luton Town player for the next 12 months, unless something changes in the meantime. We plan for every circumstance. We’ve got a list of players in each position that we’re targeting at the moment. The important thing for us, as a club, is to continue to try and move the club forward and improve the squad each window. We’ve got a big job on our hands in the summer, but I think it’s exciting. I look forward to it.”
After three 1-0 wins in March and the beginning of April, United have suffered three successive defeats since, hammered 5-0 by Celtic on home soil and going on to concede 10 goals, losing 3-1 to Hibernian and 2-0 to St Mirren. With two games left, United are fifth in the table, as they head to Rangers on Wednesday and then host Aberdeen this weekend.
Discussing his efforts so far, Goodwin added: “Jack’s been great for us and is another player that’s had niggles throughout the course of the campaign and played through the pain barrier. He’s disappointed to have conceded the number of goals that he has in the last three games, but he’s an important figure for us. He’s been one of the top goalkeepers in the league in terms of saves made and clean sheets. We’re very grateful to him for what he’s done for the club in the last couple of seasons.”