St Johnstone loan star Michael O’Halloran will return to action against Hearts.
The attacker collected the Ladbrokes player of the month award for August before suffering an ankle injury against Dundee four weeks ago.
He missed a home win over Hamilton and a defeat at Aberdeen before the international break.
Then the terms of the loan agreement from parent club Rangers kept him in the stand as Saints lost 3-0.
But now O’Halloran (26), who was frozen out of Pedro Caixinha’s first team plans at Ibrox, is eager to return against Hearts at Murrayfield on Saturday.
He said: “It was hard to be sitting out in the stand and watching games on a Saturday again.
“Things were going really well until the Dundee game where one of their boys kicked into my foot and I went over on it.
“I tried to run it off but couldn’t and I’ve been out ever since.
“I’ve done all my rehab with the physio. I feel fine now and I just can’t wait to get playing again.
“I’d waited so long to get back playing again it was really frustrating to miss out.
“But I suppose I have been lucky in one sense because we had the Rangers game – which I couldn’t play in anyway – and the international break, so it’s not as bad as it could have been.
“Hopefully I can do enough in training this week so show the manager I’m back to where I was before I got injured.”
“I’ve never been to Murrayfield before so it will be a good experience.
“I’ve obviously seen it on television and it looks a fantastic stadium so it will be something different.
“It looks like it’s a big wide pitch there, which will suit the way I play, but we will just have to wait and see what the gaffer comes up with for this weekend.
“Everyone was disappointed with the Rangers result but there was no way it was a 3-0.
“We put Rangers under pressure. I think we had something like seven corners in a row but just couldn’t make it count.
“Nobody here is worried about losing two games in a row, our confidence is good.
“We have two quick matches in a row against Hearts and Ross County so there are chances there to make the ground back up.
“The good thing about the squad we have here is that nobody panics when you lose a game or two because we’ve been over the course so many times before.”
Manager Tommy Wright has to replace veteran skipper Steven Anderson after the defender was red-carded against Rangers.
But he insists youngsters Liam Gordon and Ally Gilchrist are ready to plug the gap.
Former Celtic kid Aaron Comrie (20) has already impressed covering at right back for the suspended Richard Foster.
“Ally and Liam have both played so it will be a straight choice between one or the other,” confirmed Wright.
“There is an opportunity here for them to come in and stay in the team.
“Maybe because we haven’t won games it has gone under the radar but Aaron has come in and done very well.
“I am more than comfortable with who I have available to replace Ando.
“I have a decision to make and it will be based on what I see in training this week.”
Wright took in Hearts’ victory away to Ross County at the weekend and believes manager Craig Levein has made an impression after replacing Ian Cathro before the season started.
“Hearts have maybe looked a bit harder to beat under Craig,” said Wright.
“There seems to be more emphasis placed on work without the ball.
“They picked up a few injuries against Ross County and had to make some changes. But they have good players, as you would expect of a club the size of Hearts.
“Kyle Lafferty is a very good player at this level and Don Cowie does brilliantly for them.
“And Jamie Walker looks to have got his mojo back. He seems to be back to the level he was at before all the Rangers speculation over the summer.”
The Perth manager had mixed feelings about the defeat from Rangers.
“We did a lot of good things in the game,” he stressed.
“To force 16 corners meant we did a lot of aspects of the game well. I’d have thought we’d score at least one goal if you’d said before the game we’d have that amount of pressure.
“But ultimately there are areas we have to improve on. The first goal was one we should stop and we have to be more clinical in terms of crossing and finishing.”
