Four of United's last five matches have been goalless draws and, with Logan Chalmers injured and Lawrence Shankland just back from Scotland duty, McMullan could be given the chance to unlock Accies.

Mellon said: "What I'm most pleased about is – people don't see what these guys do when they're not playing, the hard work they have to do in order to give themselves a chance when the opportunity comes.

"McMullan and (Adrian) Sporle would have been putting the hard yards in when the other players were resting and recovering from games.

"So when you're out there with them in the wind and the rain, it's because we want them to be ready when the opportunity comes. Because I love all my players. I want to work hard for them all to get them to be really good.

"So when you see them come out and perform like that, I look back and remember the times when they were out running in the wind and the rain. And you think 'it was all worth it'.

"But what they have got to be able to do now is sustain it. They have got to have that consistency. Because now I am going to go out in the wind and rain with someone else."

Mellon added about former Celtic youth player McMullan: "In terms of his creativity, I love those types of players, because you don't get many that can dribble and manipulate a ball a lot any more.

"I love Logan Chalmers doing that, and a number of young players do that here.

"He is able to do that and he can give people around him time to move into good positions, or use his quality to get at people in dangerous areas.

"I enjoyed watching him at St Johnstone. He tired a wee bit towards the end, but that was understandable.

"What I have tried to do with Paul, and any of these players – if they don't work hard and run, they don't play for me.

"So when I saw Paul McMullan have that work ethic and the sprinting and hard graft, that's the type of Dundee United player I want to see. He will have to continue that now.

"I want to go back to the days with dribbling wingers, and one v ones, and crowds on the edge of their seats.

"I love all that. I love dribblers, I was brought up watching dribblers. Every team had dribblers – Ralph Milne, Paul Sturrock, all these players Dundee United have. We want more of them. "