Michael Beale struck a cautious tone when asked about his decision to withdraw Ianis Hagi at half-time on Sunday.
The manager urged patience regarding the Romanian international who will be disappointed not to have had a greater impact in the Scottish Cup win over Partick Thistle despite this outing representing his first start since last January.
Hagi probably suffered from the lack of quality in the collective display overall, as alongside Todd Cantwell and Malik Tillman, there was very little momentum in the final third with Antonio Colak playing up top.
Beale was protective of Hagi, insisting that he has to be allowed time to come good:
“Ianis was only ever going to be able to play 50 to 60 minutes. It’s important that I allow Ianis game time to get back to what he is. We’re playing at home and I thought there wouldn’t be much space so players like Ianis and Todd, I thought they’d be able to be quite creative in and around Tony.”
“I just felt at half time we needed to be a little bit more direct and (show) a little bit more urgency.”
The former Fiorentina man is likely to be used sparingly in the next few games.
Livingston’s plastic pitch and the intensity of the Hampden final against Celtic will prevent different challenges, neither of which are likely to be conducive to the immediate needs of Hagi’s return so it could be early March and the home fixture against Kilmarnock before we see him again from the start.
Beale will use his man sparingly until he is ready and able to be relied upon, then it’s up to the player to seize the opportunity.