Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell has cautioned that Nathan McGinley’s return to the training pitch is just a small step on his long road back to fitness.
Left-back McGinley has not played since March 13 last year but was pictured running last week.
Motherwell have deliberately not disclosed what the left-back’s problem has been, although he made an aborted comeback in pre-season training.
The 26-year-old has a further season left on his contract but his chances of being fit for the start of next term appear slim.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s visit of Ross County, Kettlewell said: “It’s nice to see Nathan back out on the park, it’s been a really, really tough struggle for him. He is out doing some very, very light work on the pitch.
“Fourteen months out the game is an awfully long time and from what I hear from Nathan, the medical team and the sports science guys, there is a substantial amount of time that has to come now in terms of that build-up, and that’s provided there is no hiccup.
“It’s not just a case of getting back on the park and he is available for selection or able to go straight into pre-season, there is an awful lot of work that has to go in to build Nathan up before he can go back into training sessions.
“The first step is there but we hadn’t got him on the park even to do light running during that 14 months, so that is a massive step, and it was really nice to see him come back on the park and get a round of applause from the players. I really hope he can kick on in the coming weeks and months.”
Motherwell have had to rely on loan left-backs this season after Jake Carroll suffered a serious knee injury early in the campaign.
“Jake has still not been back on the park,” Kettlewell said. “Jake is out of contract, I spoke to him the other day.
“The medical care he has had has been terrific and the access he has had to the medical guys here and the facilities is great. He knows the football club is doing everything it possibly can to get him back out there playing.”
Another long-term absentee, Josh Morris, who has a further year left on his deal, has not featured since November 9 and has not been seen around Fir Park for several months.
Kettlewell said: “Josh has been out with a longer-term injury and I expect there to be confirmation on that situation in the next week or two.”
The Motherwell manager also gave an update on short-term injuries, including Max Johnston, who missed last weekend’s win over St Johnstone.
“Max has got a hamstring niggle,” Kettlewell said. “It’s not a major issue but it kept him out on Saturday and it kept him off the park for a day or two this week as well.
“We will see how he is in the next couple of days to see if he is available for selection.
“Joe Efford has been struggling, Riku Danzaki has been struggling. Ross Tierney and Jon Obika have been incrementing back into training sessions.”
Meanwhile, Kettlewell could provide no clarity on reports from East Anglia that Johnston recently visited Norwich’s training ground with a view to a summer transfer.
The 19-year-old wing-back is out of contract and Kettlewell has “offered him the best deal that’s on offer”.
“I would expect if someone was visiting another football club that there would be some sort of dialogue there,” the Well boss said.
“There’s been absolutely no dialogue from Max, his representatives or anything like that to tell us that was happening.”
Late Palma strike sinks St Mirren as Celtic celebrate SPL triumph on final day
Luis Palma struck a late winner as champions Celtic twice came from behind to see off St Mirren 3-2 on the final day of the Scottish Premiership season.
It was a day of celebrations at Celtic Park for Brendan Rodgers' side, who wrapped up their third successive domestic title in midweek.
However, St Mirren threatened to spoil the party when Mark O'Hara fired them in front after just seven minutes.
Top scorer Matt O'Riley equalised for the hosts in the 21st minute, but they fell behind again just five minutes later when O'Hara doubled his tally from the penalty spot after Stephen Welsh fouled Toyosi Olusanya.
Kyogo Furuhashi levelled for Celtic before half-time, and the Hoops completed the turnaround with Palma scored the winner with four minutes remaining.
Rodgers' side finished eight points clear of second-place Rangers, who were held to a 3-3 draw by Hearts.
Despite falling behind to Lawrence Shankland's strike, goals from Ross McCausland, Todd Cantwell and Fabio Silva seemingly had the visitors on course for a comfortable win at Tynecastle.
However, there was to be a late twist with Dexter Lembikisa pulling a goal back in the 82nd minute, before Kyosuke Tagawa struck deep into stoppage time to rescue a point for the hosts.
There was also nothing to separate Dundee and Kilmarnock, who drew 1-1 in the other match on the final day.
Luke McCowan cancelled out Gary Mackay-Steven's earlier effort, though the Dundee captain squandered a glorious opportunity to complete the turnaround when he missed a penalty two minutes from time.
Al-Nassr 1-1 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic scores last-gasp penalty
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a penalty in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time as Al-Hilal denied Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr victory in a 1-1 draw.
Mitrovic netted his 27th Saudi Pro League goal of the campaign after Sadio Mane was harshly judged to have fouled Saud Abdulhamid in the area.
Mane stuck out an arm to shield the ball, catching his opponent in the throat, though the contact appeared to have been outside of the box.
Mitrovic made no mistake to keep Al-Hilal's unbeaten campaign going.
The Serbian's spot-kick cancelled out Otavio's first-minute opener, with Ronaldo having set up his compatriot.
Champions Al-Hilal remain 12 points clear of Al-Nassr at the summit of the Pro League standings.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo the provider
Ronaldo leads the scoring charts in Saudi Arabia this season, though he had to settle for an assist on Friday.
That came from the only chance he created, with the 39-year-old limited to 25 touches, though he did have four shots.
Al-Ittihad pegged back as winless run rolls on
Mohamed Sherif scored late on as Al-Ittihad's winless run in the Saudi Pro League stretched to four games after a 1-1 draw with Al-Khaleej.
Al-Ittihad have endured a miserable title defence, and with just two games remaining, the highest the big-spending, PIF-backed club can finish is fourth.
Muhannad Al Shanqiti put them ahead on the stroke of half-time, yet despite having a further eight shots and accumulating 1.07 xG in the second half, Al-Ittihad could not add another.
Their profligacy proved costly in the 81st minute, with Egypt international Sherif snatching an equaliser for 11th-placed Al-Khaleej.
Al-Tai moved out of the relegation zone with a surprise 3-1 win over seventh-placed Al-Fateh, with Bernard Mensah scoring twice.
Al-Raed, meanwhile, claimed a 1-0 win at Al-Wehda.
Data Debrief: Kante the creator?
On the day he received a surprising France recall, N'Golo Kante created three chances for Al-Ittihad, leading the team.
On the flip side, Kante only attempted one tackle, with the midfielder showing a different side to his game, not that it proved fruitful for his team.
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