Faissal El Bakhtaoui can be a star at Dundee says McCann

The 24-year-old French-Moroccan lit up Wednesday night's derby win over Dundee United with his stunning first-half volley.

He crashed an unstoppable strike off the underside of the bar to send the Dark Blues on their way to a 2-1 Betfred Cup victory over their next-door neighbours.

It was an emphatic display of what the former Dunfermline ace is capable of.

But McCann admits a crisis of confidence has prevented El Bakhtaoui from fulfilling his true potential following his step up from League One last summer.

The Dens Park boss, however, has no shortage of faith in his little playmaker and reckons he can grab at least 10 goals this campaign so long as he can maintain his new-found inner strength.

I think Fayc has got all the attributes to get into double figures this year and I want him to do that,'' he said.

I want him to feel he's got the backing and the support of the management team, which he certainly does, and the players.

Added into that, I want the fans to back him - to not get frustrated when it doesn't come off.

He's a mercurial talent who will come up with the sort of thing the other night - a piece of magic no-one else can do.

But there will be times when he misses easier chances like he did the other night.

That's for us to work with him and make him better. But he's so keen to do that.

I think he can shine here - but he has to believe in why he is here. He has to believe in his own qualities.''

McCann also wants the rest of his side to take confidence after establishing themselves as the best team in the city''.

The former Sky Sports pundit was called in with five games left last season to rescue Dundee from the drop.

He successfully completed that mission but there was a reminder of the challenges facing his side when Hamilton dished out a painful 4-0 drubbing on the final day of the season.

Now the rookie boss wants his men to bear that humiliating defeat in mind when they return to the SuperSeal Stadium on Saturday to face Accies once again.

That game is still fresh in my mind,'' said McCann.I wasn't happy with it and the players have been reminded that it wasn't acceptable.

Looking back on that game will be a benefit to the boys who were here last year. They should remember it because it wasn't pleasant.

But now it's about building momentum. We were disappointed we didn't win our first league game of the season against Ross County.

Now Hamilton provide us with another chance to get our first three points.

It's massive for us that we make sure the energy of Wednesday night's win to remains in the group.

That performance has given everybody great belief in what this team is capable of if everything comes together.'

• superscoreboard