St Johnstone will stand by Brittain despite injury

The Ross County skipper faces an anxious wait for results on a scan on his knee after it buckled during Sunday’s 2-0 defeat by Motherwell.

The midfielder has been at the centre of a pre-contract wrangle after it emerged he wanted to escape from the deal he agreed to switch to Perth next season, citing “personal reasons.”

County manager Derek Adams had urged Saints to rip up the two-year contract. But yesterday Perth chief Brown stressed he would stand by the terms of the pre-contract, regardless of the extent of Brittain’s injury.

“We have acted in an honourable fashion all the way down the line and that certainly won’t change,” he said. “I spoke with Ross County chairman Roy McGregor at the last SPL meeting and I agreed to his request to sit down with Richie face to face. But until I speak to the player I can’t comment on why he may have had a change of heart.

“Right now we don’t know the extent of the injury but as far as we are concerned nothing changes. We offered him a pre-contract in good faith, which the player signed. We wouldn’t use an injury as a get-out. Absolutely not. That is not the way this club operates. Injury is always a risk. We went into this with our eyes open and go about our business in a professional manner.”