Callum Davidson has revealed his frustration at work permit red tape which has denied Eetu Vertainen a St Johnstone debut for the third week running.
The 22-year-old striker wasn’t on board as the Perth men flew out to Austria this morning for their crucial Europa Conference League play-off first leg against LASK.
Davidson is hopeful Vertainen will be available for Sunday’s Premiership clash with Dundee United.
But it’s now over three weeks since the hitman agreed to sign from Ilves meaning he has missed the opening two league games as well as the double header with Galatasaray and Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup win over Arbroath.
The Finn, who completed a period of quarantine in Perth in July, can’t train with the his new team mates until the work permit application gets the all clear.
Changes to the rules have bogged the transfer down in bureaucracy and it has still to be finalised.
And with David Wotherspoon also absent tomorrow as he continues to isolate after becoming a covid contact, Davidson’s options in attack are limited.
The manager said: “It has been a longer process than we’d hoped with Eetu.
“The regulations have obviously changed and it’s quite difficult.
“I’m hoping to have him ready for Sunday, which will be a big boost for us, but nothing is set in stone with this process.
“There are delays and things get put back. So you don’t have a set timeline.
“It’s frustrating but it’s part and parcel of football, it’s just what you’ve got to do now.
“Eetu is in good spirits, he’s a very likeable lad and is very keen to get started - that’s his motivation.
“He’s very focused on getting going when we get things sorted out.
“All he’s been able to do so far is go out on runs to keep himself fit because he can’t train with us.
“He’s always got a smile on his face when I’ve seen him so that’s a good start.”
Other than Vertainen and Wotherspoon, Davidson says Saints had a full contingent on the flight to Klagenfurt despite a couple of unnamed first team stars carrying slight knocks.
Glenn Middleton is added to the squad that lost to Galatasaray after moving back to Perth on loan from Rangers.
Davidson said: “David Wotherspoon hasn’t travelled because of the Covid situation so that’s disappointing for us and for him.
“We have two or three knocks we will have to assess it because we need people who are one hundred percent fit.
“So that’s something I will have to take a look at before naming the team.
“With the heavy schedule we’ve had and are going to have, it’s a difficult one because you have to look at the risks.
“Ideally we wouldn’t have wanted extra time on Sunday.
“We have altered training a bit but we don’t have the biggest squad, so it’s about watching the load on the players who have had a lot of minutes.
“A few players were playing catch-up, Stevie May and Chris Kane were two, so we have got games into them.
“And Glenn Middleton has come in, looking very fit as well.”
