The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Pars boss won’t rush Mcdonald as loanee returns to training
Dunfermline loan star Anthony Mcdonald has resumed training with the Fifers following a frustrating start to his spell at East End Park.
The 18-year-old joined the Championship side from Hearts in August alongside fellow Tynecastle teenager Harry Cochrane.
But Mcdonald is yet to make his debut for the Pars due to a persistent back complaint.
He has been receiving treatment for the issue at the Jambos’ Oriam training base for several weeks, with Dunfermline physio Kevin Bain in regular contact with his medical counterparts in the capital.
And Pars boss Stevie Crawford, formerly assistant to Robbie Neilson at Tynecastle, has revealed that the highly-rated playmaker returned to Fife on Monday morning and, as yet, is showing no ill-effects of being back on the grass.
Crawford will, however, err on the side of caution with the Scotland youth internationalist.
“Hearts have given us the green light to have Anthony Mcdonald back in training,” confirmed Crawford.
“With where Anthony is, we probably need to look at him over a period of time. We need to make sure he is comfortable and not going to break down.
“However, Hearts were happy to send him back here and Anthony came through training on Monday. It is early to say that everything will run smoothly, but at least Anthony is back on the training ground.
“I think Anthony is just so keen to get back in amongst it.
“It has been very frustrating for him back at Hearts, but Kevin (Bain) has a good relationship with the medical staff at Hearts and we did not want to put ourselves in a position where we are looking after him and something can go wrong.”
Mcdonald has already made 23 senior appearances for Hearts – notching two assists on his debut against Dundee as a 16-year-old in 2017 – and, fitness issues aside, is one of the brightest young prospects in Gorgie.
That promise is something Crawford is acutely aware of as he gradually eases Mcdonald towards a first-team berth.
“He is a talented boy,” continued Crawford. “He’s a player who likes to hang out wide and then come in and link up with strikers and he has a through-pass in him. He’s a threat.
“However, I don’t want to get too excited and put pressure on Anthony.
“You are probably looking at a prolonged period of him coming through training with no issues at all before we can talk about him challenging for a place in the starting line-up.”