DUNFERMLINE have completed the loan signing of Crystal Palace midfielder Scott Banks.

The 19-year-old, who moved to the English Premier League club from Dundee United, has joined until the end of the season.

Banks has been long admired by head coach Stevie Crawford and had been strongly linked with a move to East End when the transfer window opened.

Despite interest from a number of clubs on both sides of the border, the 19-year-old has chosen to move to West Fife, and Crawford told the club website: "We are delighted to bring in another attacking option to the team.

"Myself and Greg (Shields, assistant head coach) watched Annan Athletic play Clyde in the play final game in May 2019. Scott caught the eye then and we have monitored his situation since then.

"We were interested when he was at Dundee United but for one reason or another it didn’t come to fruition that we could get him in on loan. Maybe it was because they were in the same division at the time but since then he has moved on to Crystal Palace.

"We have kept tabs on him and we just feel that he is going to be an exciting addition to add quality to that final third."

A graduate of the SFA performance programme, having attended Graeme High School in Falkirk, and Dundee United's youth academy, Linlithgow native Banks signed his first professional contract at Tannadice in 2018.

The attacking midfielder then joined Clyde in February of the following year and helped the Bully Wee to League Two promotion, putting in a man of the match performance in the second leg of the play-off final with Annan Athletic.

Banks made his United debut as a substitute against Hearts in the Betfred Cup two months later but, after four appearances, he signed a three-year deal at Palace in January 2020.

He was also immediately loaned out to Alloa, where he played four times before the outbreak of Covid-19 brought the season to an early conclusion, and he has gone on to star in the Selhurst Park club's under-23 side this season.

"He is very much in Crystal Palace’s plans, it is just that we are continually monitoring players and we like the fact that he can play in a number of positions," Crawford continued.

"He is adaptable, he can play in wide areas, he can play in off the striker and I think he will add quality to help the team.

"It is going to be a difficult season and to get Scott over the line will bring good competition for players. At times we are asking players time and time again, but sometimes especially when you are playing in that attacking third and looking for that wee bit of creativity and spark.

"You go through lulls during the season so to freshen that up is not having a go at anybody or saying that we are disappointed, it is just to give us options.

"We have played twelve league games now and there are going to be a number of weeks coming up where we are going to be playing midweek fixtures as well so Scott will come in and very much help us on that side of things."

We will have more on this story, and an interview with Banks, in this Thursday's Press Sport.