Dhanda joins Dundee after 'seven times a day' Murray calls

Yan Dhanda will be unable to face Rangers on Saturday through suspension

Yan Dhanda has revealed that former Ross County team-mate Simon Murray called "at least seven times a day" to persuade him to choose Dundee for a season-long loan from Heart of Midlothian.

Dundee say the 26-year-old midfielder, who signed a three-year contract at Tynecastle last summer, "was much sought after" having not found favour under new Hearts head coach Derek McInnes.

The Englishman played 34 times for Hearts last season, but 21 came from the substitutes' bench and it was with County where he made a name for himself, scoring 12 goals and providing 18 assists in 79 games.

"At Ross County, me and Simon had a really good relationship on the pitch and I assisted him quite a few times," Dhanda told Dundee's website.

"He was someone that was great to play with and he's one of my favourite players that I've played with. But we are also really good friends off the pitch and, when he wanted to get me here, I trusted him because he spoke so highly of the place."

Former Hearts captain Steven Pressley has had a frustrating start to his time as Dundee head coach, failing to qualify from their League Cup group and admitting a struggle to recruit this summer.

However, Dhanda said Murray "spoke highly of the place" and revealed: "Simon was onto me quite a lot, saying people at Dundee really like you and I was just wanting to play football and get consistent game time.

"Simon has been phoning me at least seven times a day and has been on my case for quite a while. Especially in the last couple of days, he's been phoning me a lot, making sure I come here.

"When I heard so many good things and what the manager is trying to do, I was desperate to come here and to start playing.

"The manager phoned me and told me where I fit into his plans and the systems he is going to play. The chat went really well and from there it all happened quite quickly.

Dhanda's debut will be delayed until Dundee's match against Kilmarnock on 23 August as he is currently serving a two-match suspension.