Nadir Ciftci’s hamstring injury has “settled a bit”, St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson revealed.
But it won’t be until scan results come back that the Perth boss will know how long he’ll have to do without his new striker.
The former Dundee United man pulled up, clutching the back of his leg in the early stages of Wednesday night’s draw with Dundee.
He’ll miss Saturday’s trip to face Aberdeen, however the extent of the lay-off thereafter has yet to be determined.
“Nadir is getting a scan (Friday) so we will know more about it after that,” said Davidson.
“The hamstring has settled a little bit but we will just have to wait and see. Hopefully it won’t be too long.
“We need to get the scan done and find out exactly what it is.”
The latest news on the other injured Saints players was more bad than good.
“Craig Bryson has been in for his operation so he’ll be out for a while,” said Davidson. “And we think Shaun Rooney will need to go for one soon as well.
“He’s been to see a specialist but he’s going to see another because we want another opinion on it because there are a few options.
“Last season we went with 18 players and didn’t have many injuries but we have had loads this season.
“Mikey O’Halloran isn’t far away, we feared it would be a long-term one but it’s settling quickly so he could be back next week.”
Momentum-changer
A 0-0 draw against the second bottom team in the league isn’t a result to get overly excited about in normal circumstances but Davidson is hopeful the Dundee point will be a significant momentum-changer.
“I watched the game back and the last 15 minutes we did look nervous,” he said.
“That just comes from results. Hopefully this can help us going forward.
“You take the point and move on. We can try to create more positivity around the place here, which really helps.
“It is all about the tiny building blocks and moving up the league.”
Mixed memories of Aberdeen
Saints won through a late Stevie May goal the last time they were in Aberdeen but were the victims of a blatant Teddy Jenks handball in the return fixture.
“Hopefully we might get a wee decision going in our favour soon,” said Davidson.
“That was a hard one to take, especially knowing the games that we had coming up. It cost us a bit of momentum.
“It just shows you how key these decisions are.
“We have always played quite well up there. I am looking for a repeat performance.
“Hopefully we can get the result that we need but it is going to be a real tough game.”
Stevie May:
Double Scottish Cup winner 🏆🏆
League Cup winner 🏆
50 goals for Saints ⚽️In case you didn't know 😏#SJFC pic.twitter.com/f8KHWlR3h4
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) September 20, 2021
Wednesday’s clean-sheet was Saints’ first since the start of November.
The back-three looked more solid and John Mahon is also pushing hard to start.
“I need to make sure he is ready to go,” said Davidson. “He needs to work hard in training at the moment and when he gets the opportunity, be ready to take it.
“It is great for me to have someone like him waiting in the wings ready to play.
“He is an out and out defender. His tackling sometimes reminds me of Frazer Wright. He loves a tackle.
“He likes to go and put his head on the ball and put his body on the line. For me that is a brilliant start to have as a defender.
“He has good quality on the ball but first and foremost he is an out and out defender.”
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