St Johnstone comeback hero Max Kucheriavyi can hit double figures, says Steven MacLean after dramatic Dundee rescue mission

St Johnstone manager Steven MacLean believes his comeback hero Max Kucheriavyi could reach double digits for the Perth side this season.

The young Ukrainian came off the bench to salvage an unlikely point against Dundee with two close-range finishes.

The strikes were Saints’ first in the league and took his personal tally to three in all competitions.

MacLean showed faith in Kucheriavyi by sending him on as part of an early second half triple substitution.

And the 21-year-old repaid the McDiarmid Park boss spectacularly.

“I’ve spoken to him about being at that back post,” said MacLean.

“I’m delighted for the wee man.

“Hopefully he can kick on now – he’s got three goals already.

“That’s a good return and he’s got double figures in him.

“Hopefully he keeps improving as a player as well.”

Poor performance

MacLean realised that Saints got out of jail thanks to Kucheriavyi’s stoppage time equaliser.

“Our performance wasn’t great, if I’m being honest,” he said.

“We were poor today – I’m not going to lie – but when you are poor and get a result like that, it’s good. It showed character.

“As poor as we were, we lost goals from set-plays.

“That’s not acceptable as well.

“The subs made an impact. That’s why I needed to bring those players in.

“I knew it was going to be a tough game off the back of last week, a different game with all these new players. I’m delighted with the players’ application and the point in the circumstances.”

Kane impact

Chris Kane made his first appearance of the season – coming on at the same time as Kucheriavyi.

“Kano affected the game like I knew he could,” said MacLean.

“I watched him in a bounce game during the week and he looked like he’s got that wee bit about him back.

“A good two weeks training for him and a friendly and he will be good to go for the next game.

“I think this break is going to do us good with all the new players we’ve brought in. The two weeks will be another mini pre-season.

“There are a lot of players who need to get fitter – I don’t think we are fit enough as a group yet.

“They were all at different stages of pre-season when I brought them in, and where they were with injuries.”

He added: “I’ve always said this team is going to get better.

“It’s not going to be instant – we’ve got 11 new players.

“There are a lot of new players learning about the league as well. It’s better league than people give it credit for.

“It’s not easy – and they’ve probably seen that already. We’ll improve.”