Steven MacLean is adamant the absence of manager Callum Davidson will not hamper St Johnstone in their crucial Premiership clash with Motherwell.
Davidson has been isolating since Tuesday after testing positive for Covid-19 and will not be at McDiarmid Park on Saturday as his team seek to open up a four-point gap on Dundee at the bottom of the Premiership.
But stand-in boss MacLean insists it will be a case of business as usual for the visit of the Lanarkshire side.
“The most important thing is the manager’s health and he’s fine and well,” said MacLean.
“He’s disappointed but he’s got every faith in us as a coaching staff. I’ve never been off the phone to him.
“We’ve been Zooming, sharing screens, doing everything you do now.
“We’ve probably been a bit lucky that this hasn’t happened to one of us before but although it’s new for us, we were prepared for the possibility of this happening.
“The team has prepared well. The manager was missing Tuesday, Wednesday and today but it’s been a normal week.
“Me, Alex (Cleland) and Paul (Mathers) put the sessions on and the players were excellent. The manager was at the Motherwell game on Sunday so we know what to expect from them.”
The Football Club can confirm Callum Davidson has tested positive for COVID.
The Manager is fine and well at home and will be back at McDiarmid Park next week.
Steven MacLean will lead the backroom staff from the technical area on Saturday against Motherwell.— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) March 17, 2022
MacLean, who confirmed that nobody else in the Saints camp is currently affected by Covid, expects Davidson to be in regular contact throughout the match.
“He’ll be watching it on the laptop so if he needs to get a message to us, he’ll do it,” said MacLean.
“I’ll have Paul and Alex with me as well so there’s plenty of experience there.
“Paul will be on the phone to the manager if he wants anything relayed to the players during the match or at half-time. And I’ll speak to him before.
“It’s not ideal the manager being missing obviously but we’ve done plenty of work all week so the players know what’s expected of them.”
