‘He won’t be ready’ – Levein delivers verdict on Clark’s fitness

St Johnstone will be without two key players for their Premiership opener against Aberdeen, according to boss Craig Levein.

Striker Nicky Clark and summer signing Andre Raymond will miss out on Sunday’s league starter, although there was good news about former Hearts man Uche Ikpeazu‘s fitness.

“I don’t think he’d be ready,” Levein said of Clark’s fitness, despite the 33-year-old returning to the training pitch. “He might be able to join us in training in another two or three days from now, but I don’t think he’d be ready.”

On Trinidad and Tobago international Raymond, Levein added: “He hadn’t done an awful lot of work over the summer, and he’d been playing in the national team and took time off and then when we brought him here, so he wasn’t up to the same speed as the rest of the group.”

“Unfortunately he’s just got a little bit of a problem with his hamstring. Nothing too serious, but I don’t know if he’ll make Monday.”

The Perth side are hopeful for another boost in the coming weeks with Ikpeazu set to make his return following surgery.

“Uche [Ikpeazu] had an op on his knee. He will probably be the end of August, I think, round about that time before he’s back, so we’ll get a little bit of a boost in the next month to six weeks.”