BY KYLE GUNN

Norwich City youngster Akin Famewo admits he was grateful to have Kenny McLean on tap to give him the green light on a loan move to St Mirren. 

The 21-year-old centre-half joined the Buddies on a deal until the end of the season on Wednesday and revealed that he spoke to the Paisley academy graduate turned English Premiership midfielder for advice. 

That advice, as well as a short spell at third tier Grimsby Town last campaign, gives the young defender the confidence that he can make it Scotland. 

READ MORE: Jim Goodwin keen to further bolster his St Mirren squad

He said: “Yes I spoke to Kenny. He was very positive because he had a good start to his career here. He's the Mayor or Norwich now. If you can prove that you can play in this league it's only going to benefit you. He didn't push too hard but he told me it was a good opportunity for me to go and show what  I could do. So it was all positive.

“I was under-23s captain at Norwich but men's football was different. League Two was pretty physical and under-23 football is a lot more technical. So I was learning both physical sides and technical sides. And coming here is another step in that learning curve. It's a great step, hopefully it's another step in the right direction. I played a couple of times for Luton as well so those kinds of games help me up my game. I'd say I'm ready for this.”

The Canaries youth-team skipper hasn’t even been at Saints for a week yet and he’s already settling in under Jim Goodwin.

Famewo is St Mirren’s third new signing this month after fellow defender Conor McCarthy arrived from Cork City and attacking midfielder Jamie McGrath joined the club after leaving Dundalk. 

READ MORE: Saints complete double Irish Premier Division swoop

And he’s looking forward to getting the opportunity to prove himself against the top sides in the country.

He continued: "He's been great, he's helped me settle in. He's a great guy and the squad have been good as well. I've felt part of the squad since I've come. I'm looking forward to doing stuff with them away from the training ground and games.

"It's a great opportunity to play in a highly-respected league, showing I can play against the big teams and showing I can play at this level. I didn't know a massive amount but you hear a lot about Rangers and Celtic so I knew about them."

Read all the latest from Gazette Sport