Craig Levein's Praise For Pressley

After being released by Hearts at the weekend, players and managers have been queueing up to give their support to Steven Pressley.

Dundee United manager Craig Levein knows the Scotland International well from his time at Tynecastle and has nothing but praise for the 33-year-old.

"Elvis is still playing the best football of his career well into his 30's, because he has looked after himself during his professional life," said Levein in his weekly column for the Daily Record.

"The real players you learn to appreciate are those, like Elvis, who perform to their highest standards every week."

"I made Elvis captain of Hearts in 2001 - after Colin Cameron left for Wolves - and it was the making of him. He had been on the fringes of the Scotland squad before then, but suddenly blossomed with the responsibility and is now a mainstay of Walter Smith`s squad."

Although Levein admits that Pressley's family have been an important influence on the defenders impressive career.

"Elvis has a strong support network, but after his wife & young family, football is the most important thing in his life."

"He understands football isn`t just a great profession in which to be involved, but also a profession not to be treated lightly."

"If you want to be a sustained influence at the highest level, you must live your life properly, which means eating and resting well and leading by example on the training field and during matches."

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