Flying Saints winger Kyle Magennis faces a race against time to be fit for St Mirren ’s crunch clash with Ross County.
The talented stand-in skipper picked up an ankle knock towards the end of Saturday’s 5-2 defeat to Hearts , meaning he has had to withdraw from the Scotland Under-21 side.
He now has the international break to recover in time for the Buddies home match with the Staggies, as Jim Goodwin ’s men aim to hoist themselves off the bottom of the Premiership table.
Gaffer Goodwin said: “Unfortunately, Kyle took a knock at the end of the Hearts game.
“He’s got swelling on his ankle so he’s been unable to train this week and link up with Scotland either.
“It’s a real disappointment for Kyle because he really enjoys meeting up with the the national team.
“It’s always nice that he gets recognised for his performances for us and the international team will be disappointed he’s not available.
“Hopefully, he’ll recover in time for our next game against Ross County.”
While Goodwin feels for his 21-year-old star, he also believes the break might be a blessing in disguise after experiencing a heavy workload already this campaign.
Magennis has played almost every game for his club, while also producing the goods in a national jersey.
Goodwin said: “I don’t think this break will do him any harm, to be honest. He’s played a lot of games this season already.
“When most of the other boys are getting a break he’s not had that.
“Maybe this is a bit of a blessing in disguise. Being involved with the national setup does catch up with you eventually.
“He’s a fantastic player and we’ve got high hopes for Kyle. There’s more to come from him.
“He’s reached the levels he’s capable of this season at times but I think he now needs to do that more consistently.
“Like a lot of young players, we can all see the attributes they have and the potential, but they need to produce those eight out of ten games consistently.
“That goes for Kyle and all of our young players.”
