The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Big Saints challenge following Ukrainian ‘honour’
Young St Johnstone star Max Kucheriavyi has got an international double header with Ukraine Under-21s to look forward to this month.
And when the Scottish Premiership resumes, Perth manager Callum Davidson hopes to give the midfielder more domestic action.
The 20-year-old acquitted himself well in his first league start for Saints, against runaway leaders Celtic, a few weeks ago.
A substitute appearance at Livingston the following weekend was the last occasion Kucheriavyi got on the pitch.
But the hard work that has earned him his Ukraine call-up for games against Israel (Saturday) and Georgia (Monday) will likely get its reward back in Scotland after the World Cup break.
“It’s brilliant for Max,” said Davidson. “We’re all delighted for him.
“I know how much it means to him to be selected for Ukraine.
“He definitely sees it as a big honour.
“It’s been a bit frustrating that I haven’t been able to give him as much gametime as I’d have liked to.
“But he’s working really hard in training and there’s a long way to go in the season.”
Kucheriavyi has been a regular on the bench for Davidson of late, with the likes of John Mahon and Michael O’halloran not even getting into the Saints match-day squad.
Now that Cammy
Macpherson, Murray Davidson and Callum Booth are due to return, competition for places is going to intensify even more.
It will throw up the kind of selection issues Davidson will be happy to deal with.
“Our situation just now is night and day compared to the last time we had a break in the middle of the season,” said the Mcdiarmid Park boss, who had to cope without David Wotherspoon, Chris Kane, Shaun Rooney, Craig Bryson, Macpherson and others for long spells of 2021-22.
“We’ve got a totally different mindset now.
“There was more of an injury crisis feeling about the place which, touch wood, has dissipated.”