St Johnstone midfielder David Robertson will be on the lookout for a new club next month after being told his contract at the Perth outfit will not be renewed.
The 27-year-old had hoped to prove his fitness after seeing last season cut short by a broken leg in November, and signed a short-term deal in the summer which gave him the chance to do just that.
However, his planned comeback stalled due to bone bruising suffered in training, and the subsequent lack of first-team action means Saints cannot justify offering the former Dundee United man a new deal.
“He’s had a terrible time but I have to emphasise the point that he’s worked extremely hard,” boss Tommy Wright told Courier Sport.
“The unfortunate thing for David was that he broke his leg. He came back last season and towards the end of the season when there was still an uncertainty of whether he was getting a contract or not he picked up an injury the bone bruising in the penultimate training session of the season.
“That put him in a difficult position because bone bruising can clear up in a matter of weeks or a matter of months. Unfortunately for him it took a matter of months.”
Wright added: “The consequences of that is that he hasn’t been able to get fit enough to the level that we want to give him enough time to have the contract extended.
“He’s fully fit now and he’s someone that I have a lot of time for. He’s a great lad, a great pro, and I’ve no doubt he’ll pick up a club when the window opens.
“The club have done their bit by him and I think David recognises that. But he’s been so unlucky picking up the bone bruising and that basically took three-and-a-half months.
“If you consider he was only on a six-month contract, that’s a massive chunk of the time taken out.”
Robertson is continuing on the comeback trail and Wright has tipped the midfielder to find a new club, but the Saints boss admitted the midfield is area where the Perth club are fairly strong at the moment.
“That’s the other thing from the club’s point of view, we can’t afford to carry that many midfielders and I’ve got people like Scott Brown and Liam Caddis who are champing at the bit to get involved and get starts,” he said.
“It’s a tough call and it’s the first time at St Johnstone that I’ve had to deal with it. But I think David understands and he’s probably seen it coming.
“The decision was made purely on the basis that he didn’t get enough time on the pitch for me to justify giving him a new contract.
“He will be a big asset to someone. He’s great about the place and he’s probably one of the most popular players in the dressing room.
“He might look back at St Johnstone as being a poor time in his career because he didn’t play a lot under Derek McInnes, and then when Steve Lomas came in he used different systems.
“He was diligent and worked hard coming back from his injury, but he just had bad luck.
“If circumstances had been different who’s to say he wouldn’t have been in the team and getting another deal? But I’ve had to do it based on the circumstances we’ve got and sentiment can’t come into it.”