John Carver: “I went down to work at the Academy when Graeme Souness brought his own men in.
“And when I went down there, whether or not to keep Andy was one of the first decisions I had to make.
“The decision was do I give him a scholarship or not?
“After some deliberation we gave him a deal.
“My decision was the final decision and I was pleased that we made the right decision.
“Andy has gone on and earned the club £35million.
“The money we got is back on the pitch.
“Yohan, Demba and Papiss have given us our mettle.
“This is how modern football works if you are looking to improve your team.
“Sometimes you have to sacrifice a player – but if you get three players back of the quality that we’ve got, then it is good business.
“At the time it may have looked like a gamble.
“But if you are confident of your ability to bring the right players in, as we were on this occasion, it’s good for us.
“The proof is always in the pudding.
“But look at the way the new signings have played along with the rest of the team, and the fact that the three foreign players have came in and done so well.
“People talk about the Premier League and it being a difficult to play in and that players have to adjust to it.
“They haven’t just adjusted to it they’ve it done it quicker than we all thought. Normally it takes longer.
“I know Demba already had the experience at West Ham but the other two have came in and got on with it quite nicely.”