St Johnstone boss Craig Levein hasn’t closed the door on Chris Kane’s Perth career.
The McDiarmid Park manager has prioritised the double-winner’s needs over his own.
And if Kane gets plenty of game-time between now and the end of the season, scoring goals to help drag Dunfermline up the Championship table, he could yet earn himself another new contract with Saints.
“Chris signed a deal in December but I’ve brought a couple of strikers in since then,” said Levein.
“I had a chat with him and said: ‘Look, you can stay, or you can go and play somewhere and get 15 games or whatever between now and the end of the season’.
“That then puts him in a position when his contract is up for whether we want to re-sign him or there are other suitors.
“Rather than me making a decision, I left it in his hands.
“I’ve still got DJ (Jaiyesimi), Nicky (Clark), Stevie (May), Benji (Kimpioka) and Adama (Sidibeh) so we’re not leaving ourselves short.
“I felt it was the fairest way to handle it – rather than me saying: ‘You’ve got to stay’ or ‘you’ve got to go’.
“It was good to make it his choice so that when he does go to Dunfermline and he plays, he’s there because he wants to go there rather than the disappointment of me saying he needs to leave.”
‘Hugely unfair’
Kane had the best part of a year-and-a-half wiped out through injury and this campaign has been a stop-start one as well.
“You have to remember how long Chris was injured,” Levein added.
“He’s then had problems this season and not been able to get into any sort of rhythm.
“If I’d kept him just for the sake of keeping him, I think that would’ve been hugely unfair.
“I couldn’t guarantee him to play 10-15 games between now and the end of the season.
“Hopefully he goes there and does really well.
“These decisions sometimes aren’t easy.
“There will be some supporters who really like Kano and feel we shouldn’t have let him go.
“But I thought it was fair and that’s what it came down to. He made the decision.”
Two to Fife
James Brown is another Saints fringe player who has moved to Fife, in his case Raith Rovers.
“I was saying to James that we brought David (Keltjens) in, Fran (Franczak) has played on that right side and so has Dare (Olufunwa),” said Levein.
“There was a fair chance he’d be down the pecking order and maybe not even on the bench.
“He was just wanting to play.”
That’s likely to be the end of the first team squad departures.
“Some of the young ones might go out,” said Levein. “I don’t see anything else happening but you never know.”
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