St Johnstone prospect Max Kucheriavyi has joined Kelty Hearts on loan for the remainder of the campaign.
Kucheriavyi, 19, was farmed out to Brechin City for the first half of the season. He notched nine goals in 19 appearances for the Highland League outfit.
The diminutive attacking midfielder was recalled to McDiarmid Park last month and swiftly impressed Callum Davidson. The Saints boss described the gifted Ukrainian as ‘one of my best players in training’.
However, first-team opportunities in Perth are likely to be scarce amid a fraught relegation battle.
As such, the decision was made to send Kucheriavyi — now recovered from a recent ankle knock — to link up with the League 2 leaders.Â
Kucheriavyi, who joined the Saints in 2020 and recently penned a three-year professional contract, could make his Kelty Hearts debut in Tuesday evening’s Fife derby against Cowdenbeath.
Should that be the case, he will cross swords with his St Johnstone teammate Sam Denham, who has impressed on loan with the Blue Brazil in recent weeks.
Kevin Thomson’s side have a six-point lead over Forfar in the race for the title, and boast two games in hand.
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