DAVID McMILLAN’S TIME at St Johnstone could be nearing an end after manager Tommy Wright confirmed that the door is open for the Irish striker to move elsewhere.
McMillan, who is contracted to St Johnstone until the summer of 2020, joined the Scottish Premiership club on a free transfer in January 2018.
However, opportunities to impress have been limited for the 30-year-old Dubliner since he arrived at McDiarmid Park on the back of a four-year spell at Dundalk, during which he won three Premier Division titles, one FAI Cup and two EA Sports Cups.
Having scored 74 goals for the Oriel Park outfit — seven of them in the Champions League qualifying rounds — McMillan hasn’t managed to continue that form in Scotland.
He netted five times in 23 appearances in his first 12 months at St Johnstone, before being sent out on loan to Hamilton Academical for the second half of the 2018-19 season.
While he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of McMillan playing his way back into contention, St Johnstone boss Tommy Wright has said he’s not currently in his plans.
“David is still available for loan or a permanent transfer and he and his agent are fully aware of the situation,” Wright told The Courier today.
“But I am not the type of manager who sends someone to train with the kids. David will be treated like the rest of the players.
“And the situation can change very quickly, particularly for goalscorers. If he does well in pre-season and bangs in the goals it could be all change.”
McMillan, who has been linked with a move to Shamrock Rovers, saw his prospects of succeeding at St Johnstone hindered when he picked up a hamstring injury while winning a penalty for the club in his debut against Partick Thistle.
After being sidelined for three months, he returned to action and scored twice in his side’s final three games of the 2017-18 season.
He found the net three times in his first nine appearances of the most recent campaign, but having been handed just three further starts, he made a temporary switch to Hamilton in January.
McMillan played eight times (three starts) for his loan club but was unable to add to his tally of goals as Hamilton narrowly avoided relegation from the Scottish top flight.
Despite admitting that St Johnstone need to bolster their attacking options, Tommy Wright is now prepared to part company with a striker he signed 18 months ago.
“We have trimmed the squad but we need a left-back and a striker,” he added. “We have until the end of August for the striker.”
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
