ALAN’S STILL GOT A FUTURE WITH SAINTS Keeper poised for new deal
V PARTICK TH
St Johnstone managerTommy Wright hopes to extend the contract of Alan Mannus.
The Perth goalkeeper was linked with a move away from McDiarmid Park earlier this week, with Motherwell believed to be interested.
But Saints boss Wright confirmed yesterday that the Northern Irish internationalist remains in his plans.
A deal could even be struck in the coming days, with Wright saying: “I had a good chat with Alan (below) the other day and I am hopeful we can tie up a contract extension very soon.
“It has been very positive. I want him to stay and the feeling I get is that he wants to stay.
“We still have a little bit of work to do on it but, hopefully, that can be sorted out quickly.
“There are a few players whose futures have still to be sorted out and getting into the top six again obviously helps out with the budget.
“We never wanted Alan to leave. The fact he wasn’t playing until six or seven weeks ago, we thought he might not want to stay. But he has got back in and done well for us.
“Having two No1 keepers does have the potential to cause problems but I know Alan and Zander (Clark) and it has never been an issue. “They are good for one another, pushing each other every day in training. Having two quality goalkeepers has been important for our success this season. “I don’t know if there is any club in the country with two such good keepers on the books. “You could argue maybe Craig Gordon and Joe Lewis are better No 1s but we have probably the best in terms of two to pick from.” Saints can secure European football this weekend with a win against Partick Thistle in Perth, if Hearts fail to win against Rangers in the early kick-off. Wright says his squad is rather thin on the ground heading into the game but that throws up no concern. “Steven Anderson is suspended but Chris Millar has been training and Michael Coulson has also trained,” said the Saints boss. “They might be doubtful for the weekend but it is a bonus that they are even in contention for the final matches of the season. In my mind, I had ruled them out. “It will be good to have them available with Danny Swanson and Davidson Wotherspoon suspended for
the Rangers game. We are probably the thinnest we have been all season with injuries and suspensions. But this squad has handled it before and it shows the importance of having depth.
“Our aim is to get into Europe and to try and get it done and dusted against Thistle.
“We are guaranteed fifth place which is a tremendous feat. But we are in fourth and we want to hold onto it. We want European football.
“With Hearts playing Rangers before we kick-off, we will have a clear picture of what is required.”
Wright has been impressed with Partick’s achievements this season and admits he voted for their boss, Alan Archibald, as manager of the year.
“He has done a great job and I’m glad to see he was nominated,” said Wright. “It is sometimes dismissed as an achievement getting in the top six.
“I know how hard I and my players have to work to do it. I appreciate the job Alan and his players have done.
“They deserve all the plaudits coming their way.”