Wright wanted Scobbie to stay
Defender signs for Dundee United
St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright says he wanted to keep Tam Scobbie at McDiarmid Park.
The versatile defender signed for Dundee United earlier this week after his Saints contract ended.
Wright, who has been tipped as a contender for the Aberdeen job if Derek McInnes moves on, is now on the lookout for a left-sided full-back.
Coupled with Scobbie leaving, the Northern Irishman revealed that Brian Easton has picked up a knee problem and could be a doubt for European football.
“I’m disappointed that Scobbie has left,” said Wright. “I wanted him to stay and I know speaking to him he wanted to stay.
“There is no way I wanted him to leave the club but it’s happened and I’ll deal with it.
“At the end of last season it wasn’t a situation that I foreseen and wasn’t a situation where I was planning on bringing in another defender.
“But things happen in football for whatever reason and now I have to go and find a replacement.
“He’s probably a player who has been underestimated in a lot of quarters but I know the value of him.
“He made well over 100 appearances for the club and played in important games for us. He finished the season absolutely brilliantly.
“I rated him very highly as a player and a person and on and off the pitch he’ll be a big miss.
“Easton will probably need an injection but we can fit that in and hopefully it works. If it doesn’t it leaves us a bit short in that position with Scobbie going.
“I would have liked to have had more business done by now but that hasn’t happened for various reasons.
“Certainly with Easton’s situation I want to get a left-sided full back in Tam Scobbie has joined Dundee United after five years at Saints just past.
“Michael Coulson hasn’t returned,” Wright said. “He will leave the club.
“Keith is on the transfer list and we will be getting him fit as quick as possible and taking it from there.
“Until I get a replacement for Scobbie I’m going to have to hang on to all of my defenders, even the young ones who we’d planned to go out on loan.
“With the slight doubt over Easton, numbers wise we’re looking a bit short. The most important thing is we’re a wee bit inexperienced.
“I’ve no doubt the young players will do well this season but it’s important that we get another experienced defender in.” if I can.
“I was wanting one player up the top end of the pitch for Europe. And we still probably need a striker and a wide player.
“My main concern is to try and find a left back and hopefully get something up the top end of the pitch who will give us a bit of quality.
“We still need to replace Danny Swanson and that is the one all our efforts are going into at the minute.”
Wright, speaking from Largs where the squad has been training for the past week, confirmed that Michael Coulson is not returning to the club.
The English midfielder and Keith Watson were told that they could find new clubs at the end of the season
Perth players are put through their paces at the Largs training camp