ST MIRREN have completed their sixth summer signing of the season as the Buddies prepare to kick off their season on Friday night.

Hayden Coulson has joined Alan Stubbs’ side on a season-long loan from Middlesbrough and will go straight into the squad ahead of the Betfred Cup opener against Kilmarnock.

The 20-year-old left-back, who can also play as a winger, joins Stubbs’ squad as they return to the Ladbrokes Premiership.

Coulson has earned international recognition with England’s Under-16s, 17s and 19s and, speaking to stmirren.com, he said: “I’ve appreciated everyone’s welcomes.

“The academy manager at Middlesbrough said that St Mirren wanted to take me on loan.

“It’s my first loan so I was desperate to grab the opportunity. I’m very excited to get started and hopefully I can prove something.”

Saints manager Stubbs said: “First of all, we are thankful to Middlesbrough for giving us someone they think very highly of.

“He’s been with England all the way up the ranks and even though this is his first loan he is someone who has a lot of potential.

“Fundamentally he is a left-back but he gives us the option of playing him as a wing-back as well.

“We’re delighted we’ve managed to capture the signing as there were a few teams in for him.

“He seems a good, level-headed young lad and I’m sure with the attributes he has he is going to be a really good addition to the squad.”

Coulson joins Jeff King, Paul McGinn, Cody Cooke, Jim Kellermann, and Josh Heaton in making the switch to Paisley this summer ahead of the side’s first Premiership campaign since 2015.

But the Buddies’ attention will first turn to the trip to Rugby Park for the opening match of this season’s competition, which will be shown live on BT Sport.

It will be the first meeting of the sides since 2015, where the Buddies ran out 4-1 winners with Steven Thompson scoring a double.

St Mirren will then face a trip to Hampden to take on ex-gaffer Gus McPherson’s Queen’s Park and welcome Spartans and Dumbarton to the newly named Simply Digital Arena.

They then kick off their return to the Premiership against Dundee on Saturday, August 4.

Meanwhile, Stubbs has told Adam Eckersley, Ross Stewart, Gary MacKenzie and Ian McShane that they are all free to leave.