DAVID Hopkin is targeting ‘five or six’ more signings to complete his Morton squad for the upcoming season.

The Ton boss has been busy since arriving at Cappielow last month, and now has 13 players signed up for the first team.

The Tele understands Aidan Nesbitt, inset, is one player Hopkin has held discussions with as he looks to bolster his squad.

The former Ton loanee spent the season at the Greenock club in 2016-17 before joining MK Dons.

He then signed for Dundee United in January, but left the club in May.

Hopkin has also identified centre-back as a priority, after seeing Lee Kilday and Gregor Buchanan leave the club, while Kerr Waddell’s loan spell from Dundee ended.

The manager told the Tele: “Ideally we need a squad of 18 to 20 players, and the development squad will top that up.

“We’ll be running with a smaller squad, and it all depends on who becomes available, it depends if they are going to add value to the club and it’s a position we need.
“Obviously we need to get three or four centre-backs in, and we’re working on that just now.”

A number of the new players brought in by Hopkin, pictured, this summer are able to fit into different positions.

He’s hoping any new signings are able to complement what he has now.

The former Bradford City and Livingston manager says he’s not in any great rush to secure those signings, with the season still five weeks away.

He added: “The most important thing is that we got players in that fit the way we wanted to play, as in the structure and the wages, and we’ve managed it.

“I think we’ve done fantastically well to get where we are just now, and it’s just about keeping going and working away over the summer.

“There will still be more players who will be looking for clubs in the next five or six weeks so we just need to be patient now.”

All Hopkin’s signings so far have been handed one-year deals, with only Reece Lyon contracted with Morton beyond this season, until June 2021.

But the Ton boss, who along with his backroom staff have three-year deals, insisted it doesn’t mean Morton are not building for the future.

He added: “When you come in and you’re starting to go through things, a year to start with, I always treat contracts as short term because if you’re doing well at Christmas then you get a new deal.

“When you’re taking players in you need to make sure they settle as well, there’s no point in bringing them in on two-year deals and then in six months time everyone saying, ‘Oh he’s got 18 months left’.

“It’s about getting the balance right and the relationships right. I think players will come in here, do well and kick on and enjoy it.”