Dundee United boss Mixu Paatelainen has explained why Guy Demel was taken off 57 minutes into his debut for the club against Partick Thistle on Saturday.
The former Borussia Dortmund and West Ham midfielder had produced an assured performance against the Jags but his withdrawal from the action was met with boos from some supporters.
However, Demel had last played away back in January and Paatelainen said the the player had simply “hit the wall” in terms of tiredness and he asked to come off for his own good.
The manager said: “I knew that Guy would not last the full 90 minutes.
“Once he waved after 55 or 56 minutes, I knew that he had hit a brick wall and had to come off.
“We don’t want to risk anybody getting injured out there.
“Once they are tired, they are tired. It was the right time to come off.
“If the player indicates to us that he is knackered, then we do not have any other option than to take him off. That’s honesty and having full trust in the players.
“That’s what we want but obviously a few fans were amazed that we took Guy Demel off as he had a good debut. He was strong out there and showed good composure on the ball.
“But he wanted to come off and if the player has not got any more power to run, defend solidly and track runners, especially in the midfield area, then it is important that the player is honest and says that.”