Dundee United boss Jackie McNamara has admitted he is interested in bringing Garry Kenneth back to the club once the big defender has regained full fitness.
The 26-year-old centre-half has been a free agent since leaving Bristol Rovers by mutual consent last month.
He has been given access to training facilities by United and has featured in a couple of bounce games.
However, McNamara believes that the 2010 Scottish Cup winner is still some way from being fully match fit.
The manager said: “Garry has been training with us but the biggest thing for him at the moment is fitness.
“He has not had a lot of games recently and he is not fit enough to play, which doesn’t help either of us.
“Garry is training away and we will have a look at him in the next week or two to see if it is going the right way. If he shows and improves, then we will have a look at it.
“I have spoken to him about it but at the moment he is not fit enough to play,” said McNamara.
“He has taken part in a couple of bounce games where it wasn’t really fair to judge him. He wasn’t tested properly but fitness-wise I think he is a few weeks away.
“If Garry was fit, then it would perhaps be good to get him in right now but that is not the case.”
Another centre-half is giving McNamara cause for concern with Gavin Gunning to be sent for a scan to assess the full extent of the injury that caused him to miss the defeat in Dingwall against Ross County.
The manager said: “We are sending Gavin Gunning for a scan on his hamstring to find out whether he tore it against Inverness.
“I don’t know whether he will be fit to face St Johnstone on Monday. If the scan comes back OK, then he might have a chance.
“Regardless of the outcome, we will still be looking to add during the window. We are seeing who is available but as everyone will tell you, it is a difficult window in terms of getting players in that you want.
“They might be doing well at their club and they won’t let them go. If they are younger ones then you are taking a gamble bringing them in on loan.
“We are a young team at the moment so it is important that we do it right.”
McNamara revealed that full-back Andy Robertson played against Ross County at the weekend despite feeling under the weather and the 19-year-old has now been given a few days off to fully recover.
He said: “Andy wasn’t feeling well on Saturday. He was coughing up at half-time so we have given him a few days off.
“In fairness to him, he got through the 90 minutes even although he was absolutely knackered. That didn’t surprise me as he has a real steely determination.
“The good thing is that our next game is on Monday so it gives him an extra few days to recover.”
Meanwhile, McNamara admitted he was hopeful that Mark Wilson will sign a new deal soon, while talks are still ongoing with John Rankin and Gunning.
Midfielder Darren Petrie has extended his loan spell with Brechin City until the end of the season. The 18-year-old has played 13 games since moving to the Glebe in October.