Talks have begun on a new contract for St Johnstone winger Lee Croft, manager Tommy Wright has revealed.
The former Manchester City man was picked up as a free agent a couple of months ago after a summer move from Oldham to Millwall fell through.
The first few weeks of Croft’s second spell at McDiarmid Park were spent working on his fitness.
He has broken into the first team recently though, and was Saints’ man of the match in the weekend Scottish Cup win at Forfar.
Wright believes Croft will prove to be an important player as the Perth men seek to secure a top-six league finish and progress further in the cup.
And he also wants to tie him up for next season.
He said: “Lee is quality. He is someone I have known for a long time and he was keen to get back to the club. He has come here and got himself really fit.
“We took a punt on him because he had become a bit disillusioned with the game and was thinking of a move to America.
“But I knew that if we could get him up to speed he could resurrect his career with us,” said Wright.
“We are already talking about next season. That was something we had discussed when he first came in so hopefully we are able to keep Lee here beyond the summer.
“He came in with certain conditions attached, including an option to leave in January if he wasn’t happy or wasn’t getting a game.
“But Lee wants to stay and he wants to play football. He has found somewhere he feels appreciated and he gets on great with the lads.
“He probably regrets not staying here longer after he had been with us on loan. So we are hoping we can get something sorted out to extend his stay with us.”