St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson says his "gamble" on Caolan Boyd-Munce paid off at the end of last season.
Boyd-Munce joined the Saints in March on an initial short-term deal but has now earned himself a one-year contract extension.
Robinson says taking a patient approach with the Northern Ireland midfielder paid dividends.
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The 23-year-old is now tied to the Scottish Premiership club until next summer, with an appearance-based option for another year.
Boyd-Munce – who began his career at Glentoran and had spells at Birmingham City and Middlesbrough – made three appearances for St Mirren last season with his first start coming in Saturday's match against Rangers at The SMiSA Stadium.
Robinson told stmirren.com: "Caolan was never going to come into the first team fold straight away because he hadn’t played for a long time.
"What we could see three months ago, he is now starting to achieve. Sometimes, that gamble is worthwhile.
"He's different from what we have. He will find passes and put people through on goal as he gets fitter and stronger. We believe that come August/September, he has a real chance of starting games for us and pushing on. There's so much more to come from him.
Robinson added: "He's a conscientious boy.
"He will come back fitter and stronger and we've seen that from the period he's been in here.
"The option for a different type of midfielder who is similar to an Ethan Erhahon makes us stronger as a squad."
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