As we reported earlier, Franco Miranda has decided not to return to St Mirren. This is confirmed by Saints manager Gus MacPherson along with some of the background that has gone on in the last few weeks as he has tried to bring Franco back to St Mirren.

He said, "In short Franco Miranda won't be coming back to St Mirren. We had offered him a contract but initially he was looking for a 75% increase on his previous deal with the Club.

"We still don't know how fit Franco is after his injury from last season so that would have had to be checked out first to prove his fitness.

"But, if he proved to be fit, we wanted him to come back to St Mirren but unfortunately we couldn't agree on a financial package to get him here, it is really disappointing as I believe he would have been an asset for us.

"Clubs are finding it difficult financially just now and some players don't seem to understand that.  As I've said before, it is a player's prerogative if they want to see if they can get a better offer elsewhere."

Gus believes that the present financial climate that Scottish football finds itself in isn't dawning as yet on some players as they look to set-up new deals or move to new clubs. That aside he confirms that he will still be trying to add to his squad as we head into the pre-season.

He said, "We are still looking to strengthen the squad, which we will continue to do. It is an ongoing process but like the case with Franco, when you make enquiries about players some of them don't seem to realise that the money isn't there which once was.

"Some may believe that they will get that offer that they are holding out for but it certainly can't come from St Mirren because we have to work within our financial restraints."

The Saints gaffer reckons that he can only bring in another couple of players as St Mirren aren't immune to the present financial grip on the game.

He said, "It depends what we have at our disposal but at the moment it looks as if we'll only be able to bring in another two players.

"It is proving awkward but we've got to try and see if we can get another couple of players in to make sure that we feel that we have the balance right within the squad."

On a brighter note, Gus confirmed that the news on Chris Smith's fight back to injury after a serious knee injury is going well.

He said, "We have had good news on Chris Smith's injury. The feedback from the surgeon is very positive as he is delighted at the stage Chris has got to in his recovery process after only three months.

"It is now a case of Chris pushing forward, taking things on as he can do them and building things up.

"He still has a long road ahead of him to get to a full recovery but all-in-all, this is really good news for Chris."

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