St Mirren boss Jim Goodwin believes Seifedin Chabbi can be a big asset in the coming weeks after making his long-awaited debut.
The Austrian-born striker had to wait four weeks for his first appearance since joining on loan from Turkish Super Lig side Gaziantep FK.
The 26-year-old came off the bench in Saturday’s William Hill Scottish Cup defeat by Aberdeen as the Dons frustrated Goodwin’s side.
But the Saints manager was happy to get him up and running ahead of Wednesday’s Ladbrokes Premiership visit of St Johnstone.
“It was really good to get Chabbi minutes,” he said. “He came in in January and wasn’t quite as fit as we would have liked him to be.
“We felt it was best to get him a couple of weeks of intense fitness training. He looks really sharp now, he looks a lot better in training, physically stronger as well. He looks now he is going to be a really good addition.
“Obviously the weekend was a difficult one, you are putting him on there in the hope that he’ll be able to nick us a goal and get us back in the game.
“But he has great attributes and he is a proven goalscorer. You can see that from the clubs he has been at, he knows exactly where the goal is.
“We need to get him in the team on a more regular basis.
“The reason why he hasn’t been in is down to the good play of Jon Obika and Alex Jakubiak. The two boys have struck up a really good partnership.
“Chabbi is well aware of the fact that he needs to be patient and bide his time, and we will get him on the park if he can.”
Goodwin added: “Alex came off at half-time on Saturday due to a bit of light-headedness, he wasn’t quite feeling himself. But he is feeling a lot better and will be fully fit for Wednesday, I would imagine.”
