Daniel Phillips brings ‘combative’ qualities to St Johnstone – Callum Davidson

St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson is excited about adding the “combative” qualities of Trinidad and Tobago international Daniel Phillips to his squad.

The Perth side are close to finalising a deal for the 21-year-old midfielder after he impressed during a trial at McDiarmid Park following his departure from Watford earlier this summer.

Davidson confirmed at a media briefing that the transfer is nearing completion and he hopes to have Phillips – who spent last season on loan at Gillingham – in contention for Saturday’s cinch Premiership trip to Rangers.

“We’re looking to try and bring Daniel in and hopefully it will all get sorted, everything will get cleared and he’ll be ready to play (against Rangers),” said the Saints boss.

“Daniel’s a real combative midfielder. He’s got loads of energy, he gets snapped into tackles and he’s good on the ball. He’s a young player with, for me, a big future, so we’ll see how that develops.”

Davidson, who has already overseen a significant summer rebuild in Perth, anticipates further transfer activity before the window closes.

“There are always moving parts,” he said. “There are still areas on the pitch we need to look at. Over the next two or three games, players can make decisions for me in terms of ‘no, you don’t need new players in this position’ or otherwise.

“You can get injuries as well, so you always have to keep looking and see who’s available.”

Saints captain Liam Gordon, who is yet to make a first-team appearance this season due to injury, stepped up his comeback bid with an outing for the Under-20s in the Challenge Cup and is now deemed ready for a starting place.

However, Davidson warned that the skipper faces stiff competition from Ryan McGowan, Alex Mitchell and Andrew