MORTON gaffer Gus MacPherson fears he may have to wait to bolster his threadbare squad as he aims to land two players before the end of this week.

The Ton manager revealed that he has been in discussions with 'numerous clubs' regarding loan deals and he says he wants to add three or four players to his squad ahead of the start of the Championship campaign.

While the 52-year-old was delighted with their display against Kilmarnock in their Premier Sports Cup tie, which Ton lost on penalties, MacPherson knows there are still voids to be filled in his squad.

He hopes to add at least one new face before Ton face Clyde in their final Group G tie on Saturday - but he admits that circumstances are out of his hands and refused to be drawn to any potential names.

He told the Tele: “I think you saw on Tuesday that we’re still in need of some more players to help enhance the squad.

“We’re very light in most areas and, even though I thought they were brilliant against Kilmarnock on the night, they do need help.

“We need to try and facilitate that as best as we can.

“We’ve spoken to numerous clubs and numerous players as well and hopefully we can get a couple in before the end of the week.

“But we’re in a position of being in the hands of the other clubs and where we can’t dictate things.

“We just need to wait and see how it pans out from here really."

MacPherson praised youngster Lewis McGregor for his performance against Kilmarnock, which saw the 17-year-old score a wonder goal against the Rugby Park side.

MacPherson added: “I saw Lewis play a couple of times with the under-18s during the summer and he caught my eye.

“He impressed me with his pace and direct play and he also had an opportunity just before he actually scored where he decided to cross the ball deep with his left foot.

“The next time he goes again and scored with an unbelievable finish on the big occasion.”

The Ton boss revealed that he is set to ring the changes on Saturday against League One side Clyde as he looks to play catch-up after missing out on 10 days' worth of preparations due to the club’s Covid-19 outbreak.

MacPherson says he is considering trying to arrange a last-minute friendly in order to put his players through their paces and ensure they’re ready in time for the Championship kick-off against Dunfermline on July 31.

He said: “We’re 10 days behind in terms of our whole preparation and in games now, so that’s a frustrating side to things.

“I’ll need to make changes on Saturday to ensure that players get enough minutes and game time.

“We might even need to arrange a game next Tuesday which we don’t want to have to do but that’s the position that we find ourselves in.

“We need to make sure that we get players fit and ready for selection for when we come up against Dunfermline on the opening day of the league.”