David Wotherspoon’s late return from World Cup qualifying duty with Canada will make him a selection doubt for St Johnstone this weekend.
Perth boss Callum Davidson had little option but to start his triple cup-winner against Rangers a day after a long-haul flight as the Premiership season resumed after the international break last month.
But with more midfield options available to him this time around, Wotherspoon isn’t certain to feature when Livingston visit McDiarmid Park on Saturday.
“He comes back on Friday morning again,” said Davidson.
“It’s a bit of problem in terms of the time difference and jet lag. You just have to assess it.
“When you’ve been flying all night it’s not ideal.
“Last time he slept on the plane but you can’t predict how he’s going to feel this time. It doesn’t matter how often you do it.
“Obviously it would have been better for us if the last game was earlier in the week.”
Getting World Cup game-time
Davidson added: “We’re delighted that he’s involved and getting on in games. He played 20 minutes the other night there.
“It’s something you would never stop because it’s a real accolade but it makes my team selection that little bit harder.
Highlights: #CANMNT 0:0 JAM #WCQ #WCQ22 #ForCanada pic.twitter.com/nLar3kdoYU
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) October 11, 2021
“He’s had a bit of a stop-start season with us so far and it felt like he was starting to get better for us after the last international break.
“It’s a wee bit frustrating that we’ll have to start that again after travelling back.
“He played well against Dundee but we’ve got more options in midfield for the Livingston match than we did for Rangers, when we started David after he got back on the Friday.
“We’ll see how everybody is looking and make the decision the day before the game.”
Strong chance for Qatar
Canada are in a strong position to qualify for Qatar 2022 and face Panama in the last fixture of this month’s triple-header.
“It’s a very good squad Canada have got,” said Davidson.
“Everything else apart from the travel is great and improves you as a player.
“I know from my own experiences with Scotland that international football definitely helped me.
“He’s playing and training with top quality players and holding his own. That will give him a lot of confidence.”
Ali Crawford: Callum Davidson reveals St Johnstone midfielder could be back in two to three weeks
