MORTON manager Jonatan Johansson is continuing to run the rule over trialist Joe Knowles.

The English-born Australian forward had been on trial under previous boss Ray McKinnon.

While the transfer window is closed, clubs in Scotland are still allowed to sign free agents.

Because the 22-year-old, inset, left Australian A-League side Perth Glory earlier in the summer, Morton could still sign him further down the line.

But Johansson insists his full focus at this early stage is on getting his team ready for Dundee United on Saturday.

He told the Tele: “Joe is here on a trial basis and I want to assess him.

“There’s no time frame on that one now and it’s something further down the line I’ll look at.

“My main focus is on the players that are here and getting that side of things sorted first.”

McKinnon had also been looking to loan out several youngsters to League One or Two teams.

Loans to clubs below the Championship can still occur up until the end of the month.

But again, the Finn wants to wait and see if these players could be a included as part of his first team plans.

He added: “Everything like loans out has been put to the backburner because I need to get to know players.

“I want to assess players and get to know players that maybe haven’t been playing as much as last season, both in training and reserve games.

“My first job is to know the squad and not to send people on loan. 

“It is a totally different thing if it is a young player for the academy side of things, if John Sutton [head of development squad] has someone that would go out on loan in that age group and they don’t think is ready for the first team at Morton.

“That’s a different issue and that’s something which is part of the player development, but even that is not something that’s been discussed.

“It’s not been in my mind at the moment because my focus has been on the squad and the next game.”