A new right-back is on St Johnstone’s January shopping list.
Simo Valakari wants to add a right-sided defender to his squad when the transfer window opens in the New Year.
And he admits that will come as music to the ears of stand-in star Drey Wright.
Wright has been tasked with “doing a job” at full-back this season and has impressed Valakari with his approach.
But the Finn believes the team would benefit – as it did for the final half-hour of Saturday’s win over Kilmarnock – from having a natural defender on the right AND allowing Wright to position himself higher up the pitch.
Valakari, who confirmed his intention to bolster the right side of defence, said: “Drey has been a makeshift right-back this season because we don’t have a natural one.
“He can play more with his strengths when he’s in midfield and higher up the pitch.
“He is good at running with the ball and has good vision, he spreads the ball around well with those diagonal passes.
“I think Drey enjoys playing higher up so it was good to see him there for thirty minutes last weekend.
“But I have to give him credit, he has adapted to the right-back position when we have played him there.
“And he has been working hard on things, we have spoken a lot about the position and how to play it.”
Wright’s receptiveness to the defensive job with which he has been tasked – despite his preference for playing in attack – has not been lost on Valakari.
And the progress he has made has impressed the Saints boss, who is open about his desire for positivity amongst his players.
He said: “I think one-v-one, his defending is good, but there are aspects of the position, such as squeezing in along with the rest of the back four, which takes time to learn.
“We have to give him credit, he has got his head down and every day he’s trying to learn more about the position and how to be as good as he can be.
“In training he’s working on it and he’s adapting well.
“Sometimes we have asked him in training to go as part of the back four and just focus on defending, which I can’t imagine is enjoyable for him.
“But he’s doing it for the team and has been very open to doing that.”
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