Tommy Wright admitted that if Chris Kane was Dumbarton’s player, he’d be trying to snap him up.
But he’s already St Johnstone’s man, and the prolific forward will be given his chance in the first team at Perth.
Kane signed off his second loan spell with the Championship side by scoring a consolation goal against Hearts at the weekend.
The strike took his tally to five in 12 games, adding to the 10 he managed in a less injury-affected stint on the west coast last season.
The 20-year-old won’t be farmed out again, despite Dumbarton manager Ian Murray’s desire to keep him for longer, and Wright has high hopes that he can now make his mark at Premiership level.
With Steven MacLean still building up his match fitness and James McFadden suspended for three matches, Kane may not have long to wait for his chance.
He’ll be in Wright’s squad for the visit of Partick Thistle on Saturday, and the Perth boss pointed out: “Kano is back now so he’ll be in contention for the weekend.
“He’s scored 15 goals in 31 games for Dumbarton, so with a record like that we’d be looking at him with a view to signing him.
“I’m sure other clubs would be the same because his scoring record is excellent.
“He’s not come back to make up numbers or sit on the bench. I want him to be pushing and making me play him on a Saturday.
“He’s got a full season in the Championship under his belt now and I think he’s on a par with Stevie May when he came back here from Hamilton.
“The loan has worked well for him now’s his chance to do it in the Premiership.”
It isn’t a case of Kane having to re-introduce himself to his manager and team-mates this week, as throughout his loan at Dumbarton he has continued to train with Saints.
But Wright does expect to see a different player on match-days to the fringe squad member who left in the summer.
“He’s always been a confident lad but I think he’s come back even more confident than before,” the Northern Irishman explained.
“Chris has developed physically, that has come with growing up a bit and also a lot of hard work in the gym.
“He’s developed and moved forward, playing with someone like Colin Nish has helped him massively.
“So his time at Dumbarton has worked really well and it’s not about him forcing his way into the team here.”