As Ali Dickinson ponders his rugby future his boss has indicated that his employers’ attitude will go beyond duty of care and extend to recognition of the respect due to a player who has given exceptional service to club and country.

The Scotland prop has been out for so long after suffering a broken foot, then having to undergo shoulder surgery, that Edinburgh would probably soon be entitled to release him, but in hinting at the possibility that Dickinson’s career is under threat, their head coach Richard Cockerill said his principal concern is that the 34-year-old’s long-term health is protected.

“He has had some serious injuries that we must make sure he is dead right before he comes back into playing. It’s hard to say when he will be back. He has to prove to himself that he is ready to come back and play and be confident,” said the former international front-row forward.

“The union and the club are supportive and when he feels comfortable to come back he will. Maybe there will be another decision he needs to make further down the line but we are not there yet.

“He is a very experienced player who has done a lot for Scottish rugby. It is right we are patient with him so he can make the right choice for him, whether that is playing again or not playing again. He has had a lot of serious injuries and he is still a young man so it has to be right for him.”

Dickinson’s fellow veteran front-row forward Ross Ford has also missed most of this season, but Cockerill suggested that Scotland’s most capped player may be back in action in time for a run-in to the season which looks set to involve knockout matches in the Pro14 as well as the European Challenge Cup in which they will contest the quarter-finals next week.

“Fordy is training fully,” he said.

“He is not right for this week but is getting back to being available to selection. He hasn’t played for five months but if he trains well enough and shows me is ready to be involved you would like to use his experience but he is not ready.”

Edinburgh are meanwhile boosted ahead of tomorrow night’s meeting with Connacht by the return to availability of all their current Scotland players other than Stuart McInally and Hamish Watson, both of whom had a hefty work-load during the Six Nations Championship.

They have also released winger D’Arcy Graham to the Scotland sevens squad for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, but in explaining why Olympic sevens silver medallist Mark Bennett, as well as former Scotland sevens regulars Dougie Fife and James Johnstone would not be joining the winger on the flight to Australia, Cockerill made his priorities clear.

“He is needed here. Edinburgh takes preference over the sevens because we are one of the pro teams. The sevens is a development tool for the 15s. Mark Bennett is first choice thirteen for us. We have some really important games and our best players will stay with the 15s,” he said.

“Edinburgh have everything to play for. The sevens is important in a different way. My agenda is not sevens. It is Edinburgh rugby.

“The reality is that they are contracted to me and I will make those decisions. The same with Dougie Fife and James Johnston.

“We are at the business end of the season. I am not going to let my best players go and play sevens when we have a chance of being in the play-offs and the quarter-finals of Europe and hopefully if we get it right there will be a play-off in the league. They all get it. They would rather be here.”