WEST FIFE football star Caroline Weir has served up an ace by teaming up with one of Scotland's greatest-ever sports stars.

The 24-year-old, who plays professionally in the top tier of English football with Manchester City, is linking up with two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray's 77 Sports Management agency.

Murray, whose mum, Judy, played for Dunfermline Tennis Club, described the 71-times capped Scotland star as "one of the brightest talents in the Women's Super League" as he seeks to represent more female players in his business.

Pars fan Caroline, a former pupil at Dunfermline High School, has already played for her country at two major tournaments, and is a double FA Cup winner, but believes working with an "icon" such as Murray can take her to greater heights.

"I'm delighted to be joining 77 Sports Management and can't wait to get started with the team," she told Murray's website.

"I'm at an important point in my career and am confident that this decision will help me achieve my goals on and off the pitch.

"Working with Andy is a very exciting prospect and I hope to make the most of his experience. Andy is a sporting icon; his impact has gone way beyond the world of tennis and he has certainly been an inspiration to me as a fellow Scot."

Murray, 32, established his agency company with business advisers Matt Gentry and Gawain Davies to build a "bespoke business strategy" for athletes by "putting their performance first" and by "passing on the valuable lessons I've learnt in my career".

That career has, in addition to his Wimbledon crowns in 2013 and 2016, included winning gold at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, claiming the 2012 US Open title, becoming world number one and appearing in a further eight grand slam finals.

Off the court, Murray has been praised widely for his views on gender equality, having backed equal pay for male and female players in his sport consistently, and, in 2014, hired Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo as his coach.

Weir becomes the first female footballer to join Murray's stable, which includes Hibernian men's duo Ryan Porteous and Fraser Murray, sprinters Shannon and Cheriece Hylton, and tennis players Katie Swan and Aidan McHugh.

"Caroline is one of the brightest talents in the Women's Super League – since joining Manchester City, she's gone from strength to strength and we believe she can go on and challenge to be one of the best players in the world in years to come," Murray said.

"She's got an exciting future both on and off the pitch. It's great to see the growth in the women's game over the last few years; as an agency, we are keen to represent more male and female players, coaches and managers."

After beginning her career with Hibernian, Caroline has gone on to play for Arsenal, Bristol and Liverpool before joining City in June 2018, with whom she lifted the FA Cup – at Wembley – for a second time last year.

At the beginning of this month, she captained Scotland's senior side for the first time, in a 3-0 win over Ukraine, as they lifted the Pinatar Cup in Spain by also defeating Iceland and Northern Ireland.

They had been due to continue their bid to qualify for next summer's European Championships – following on from their maiden major tournament appearance at Euro 2017, and first World Cup last summer – next month, but matches with Cyprus and Portugal are on hold because of the coronavirus outbreak.