East Kilbride manager Chris Aitken says a call from Celtic coach Darren O'Dea helped sell him on signing up Ross McLaughlin.
Kilby have secured the 22-year-old on a short-term deal after the Celtic academy product spent a spell out of football.
He was last with fellow Lowland League club East Stirlingshire in 2020 but has been without a club since then after a bad run of injuries.
Now he is aiming to get back into the game and a call was made to Aitken in order to trial at EK. McLaughlin has impressed in training so far and Hoops youth coach O'Dea was able to provide a glowing reference.
Aitken is down on bodies ahead of Saturday's Scottish Cup fourth round tie with Peterhead following the likes of Chris Erskine and Gregg Wylde leaving the club.
He said of his new recruit: "He got in touch with us and asked to come in and train. I spoke to Darren O'Dea about him and I spoke to a few boys he had played with. O'Dea worked with him at Celtic.
"The stuff I was told was all good. He's had a few bad injuries and fell out the game but he's all good with injuries now. He's been training and I have given him a short-term deal.
"It's up to him now to try and earn another one until the end of the season or beyond. He's here for four weeks and I haven't saw him in a game yet.
"It's something I don't usually do but I've liked what I have seen. Now he can go and show me what he can do in four weeks."
The EK boss is hoping for more transfers this month, but is wary of interest in some of his men: "I'm always looking to add to the squad. Some of my boys are in real good form right now and I know there's people looking at them."
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