Ross County manager John Hughes says he may have to manage right back Jason Naismith’s physical condition in the coming weeks.
Naismith returned for a second spell at Victoria Park in December, following a spell with Peterborough United.
The 26-year-old arrived back in the Highlands looking to build up his game time, having recovered from a knee ligament injury he suffered during a loan stint with tomorrow’s opponents Hibernian last season.
Having signed outwith the transfer window, Naismith was unable to play until January but he has been an ever present in Hughes’ side throughout the seven games in 2021 so far.
With Naismith’s rehabilitation process still fresh in the memory, Hughes says he does not want to push the former St Mirren defender too far in County’s survival bid.
Hughes said: “We need to look at Jason because he had that long injury then came to us having done his rehab and he had not played much football.
“He couldn’t play until the window but he got himself really fit.
“I know myself, it’s always the adrenaline that gets you through those first three or four games.
“After that you might have to rest him up for a few days, so we’ll keep an eye on him and see how he is.”
Hughes will also be monitoring the fitness of Naismith’s fellow full back Carl Tremarco who has recently recovered from a hamstring injury, with the 35-year-old having been limited to 10 appearances since his summer move from Caley Thistle.
Hughes added: “We also need to keep an eye on Carl Tremarco as he has just come back from a hamstring injury. That’s the reason we took him off on Saturday.
“His hunger to play 90 minutes in question, but we need to protect Carl from himself at times.”
The harsh winter conditions have restricted Hughes’ training plans in recent weeks, with the Staggies largely limited to training indoors at the Highland Football Academy.
Hughes is hopeful the improved forecast beyond this weekend will allow him to introduce more focused game-related sessions, as he looks to lift the Staggies from 11th position in their 10 remaining matches.
He added: “We have the fantastic indoor arena here so we are always training, but there is a difference between that and coaching.
“Indoors you can do the training aspect, but when you’re out on a football pitch you have the distances, sizes and you can slow it down.
“That means you can coach a bit more.
“I’ve not been on the outside pitches since I arrived because of the frost and snow, which has been frustrating.
“What we have done is go onto the big pitches and walk through things just to paint a picture to the players.
“We have had one eleven against eleven on the pitch for the Hamilton game and we benefitted so much from that.
“It’s unfortunate because of the weather but it’s the same for everyone and we have to remember we are lucky to have the indoor facility we’ve got.
“Sometimes in there you have to rein them in because they really go for it in there, it’s tight and they get stuck into each other.
“I like that because it’s competitive but sometimes you have to tell them to calm down a bit.
“Getting back outside will help me as a coach, you can set up on the big pitch to work on the things you’ve seen on a Saturday and bring that repetition in.
“But I have been happy with a lot of what we’re doing, we are working on plenty of things and you can see it coming through.”