He said: "The middle of the park is a real engine room for us and we're very fortunate to have Jeando. He really values the platform we're giving him here.

"The style of play we're encouraging here is perfectly suited to him so we're giving him a really good platform to bring his best qualities forward in every game. I think he's thriving just now."

Fuchs played a big part in Sunday's derby victory over Dundee and Courts is hopeful his team can deliver another rousing performance as they aim to get the better of Hibs at Tannadice in Thursday's Premier Sports Cup quarter-final.

The manager is planning to restore goalkeeper Trevor Carson to the sticks for the showdown with Jack Ross's team even though first-choice Benjamin Siegrist returned from injury on Sunday.

Courts said: "I'm hoping the derby win can be a nice springboard for us going into the Hibs game. It was a real big step in the right direction for us. The Hibs game will take care of itself.

Hibs are obviously a very good side and they'll have their own aspirations of progressing. I think it's set up for a really good encounter."