91Èȱ¬

Dundee United manager Jackie McNamara acknowledged the quality of Nadir Ciftci's match-winning goal, but urged him to be more clinical.

The Turkish forward's volley gave United a 1-0 win at home to Kilmarnock to make it five games unbeaten.

"I think the one he scored was probably the hardest chance he had," McNamara told 91Èȱ¬ Scotland.

"He took his goal well but he had a few other chances and could've helped settle our nerves a bit."

Ciftci, 21, arrived at Tannadice in July following spells in England, Turkey and the Netherlands.

"His all-round game; he's strong, he's quick," said McNamara. "You can see he cause defences problems.

"We could've made it a bit more comfortable. It's taken a fantastic save from our goalkeeper to ensure it stayed 1-0."

Radoslaw Cierzniak made a string of crucial saves as Killie pushed for the equaliser in the final 15 minutes.

Jackson Irvine had a diving header and a long-range shot stopped by the Pole, and Sammy Clingan's free-kick was also tipped over.

Despite their profligacy, United looked menacing in attack and McNamara was pleased to see substitute Gary Mackay-Steven on form.

"He was excellent when he came on and looked a real threat going forward, running at them all the time," he said.

English Premier League side QPR had scouts at Tannadice to watch United's 17-year-old defender John Souttar, who has already been the subject of a bid by Sunderland.

"He was excellent on the ball," McNamara added. "He was up against a very experienced player in Kris Boyd but John stuck to his task very well."