CALLUM DAVIDSON has revealed that his namesake Murray is making good progress in his Betfred Cup Final fitness race.
The St Johnstone midfield stalwart picked up a calf knock against Rangers at the start of this month and has been a doubt for the Hampden showdown ever since.
Davidson was influential in Saints’ league cup semi-final victory over Hibernian and his manager would love for him to be available for Livingston on February 28.
The 32-year-old missed out on St Johnstone’s Scottish Cup glory in 2014 through injury and Davidson would hate to see a repeat of that this time round.
“We just got Murray’s scan so he is probably still 50/50 for the cup final,” the Perth boss told Herald and Times Sport.
“Things are improving quickly which is great news. From where he was last week to where he is now there is a big difference in him.
“We are pleased with that and we will give him every opportunity to get fit. It is a push for the final but we’ll give him every opportunity to be ready for it.
“He has a grade two calf injury. It is unusual for Muzz because I don’t think he has ever had one of those before. It is a little bit new for him. The pain is new as he is not normally one to get muscular injuries.
“He has worked closely with the physio. Older players do know their own bodies. Murray is quite unique as he always seems to heal very quickly.
“You get some players like myself who used to take ages to heal. Murray is the opposite so we just go day by day and load it up this week and next week and see how far he can get.
“That is the only way we can do it and I think he will obviously have to give us his feedback. I know he is desperate to be involved and play but we need to make sure he is 100 per cent right.”
Yesterday marked the 23rd year since Callum Davidson made the switch from St Johnstone to Blackburn for a fee of £1,750,000, which to this day is still a McDiarmid Park record.
The former Scotland international had to be reminded of the date and admits he's surprised that the record-fee has not been broken since.
He continued: “I must have been heading down the road to Blackburn. I think Paul Sturrock had me in handcuffs in his car saying you are going to sign. That was it. Take it or leave it. I think he was being the chairman's enforcer.
“Hopefully we can break that transfer record soon. I’m surprised because I have a lot of good players coming through and lately with the success that the club have had.
“We have a load of good young players. When you see some from other clubs going for big money, I’m not quite sure why players at St Johnstone don’t get that recognition too.
“We have some good youngsters, good ages as well, if some of them carry on playing the way they are I will be very surprised if clubs from down in England don’t come knocking.”
St Johnstone midfielder Liam Craig has also hailed the young talent coming through at McDiarmid Park and he insists the club should be getting more credit for their impressive youth academy set-up.
He added: “It will be frustrating for the club. I have been helping the loan players this year and I try to tell the likes of young Cammy Ballantyne look at what is in the first team now.
“That could be you in a couple of years. Ali McCann, Zander Clark, Liam Gordon, Jason Kerr, Chris Kane they all went out on loan as well.
“They benefited from those experiences and came back knowing the game. It is brilliant for St Johnstone to have so many youth players coming through into the first team.
“It is also good for the younger players in the academy just now. They should be looking at that and saying ‘that could be me in a couple of years’. You are going to get opportunities as the club has shown. But it is up to the players to take that opportunity.
“Certainly, when you look at the seven or eight boys in the first team just now they have done that. They are either going to be very successful for St Johnstone or going to make the club a lot of money.”
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