MORTON boss Dougie Imrie believes that his call to allow Lewis Strapp to leave Cappielow will only benefit the academy product’s career.

The Tele revealed at the beginning of the month that Strapp had been told he was free to leave the club at the end of the season - marking an end of a 12-year association with the Sinclair Street side.

Today Imrie hailed the impact that the 24-year-old has had in his 15-month tenure as boss and revealed that the club will stand by him as he bids to regain fitness from what is now confirmed as a season-ending knee injury sustained against Celtic back in January.

Imrie told the Tele: “I think Lewis has been a terrific servant to the club, coming right through the ranks.

“But I think that Lewis leavingin the summer will only benefit him, to go and experience something a bit different.

“I’ve told him this, I think he’s in a bit of a comfort zone here.

"I think he needs to go an express himself, take himself out of this comfort zone and kick himself on.

“I think the decision I've made is only going to benefit him.

"I could easily have kept him here, given him a contract and he’d have been here for the rest of his life."

Imrie says he believes the player is capable of operating at a higher level.

He said: “I think Lewis deserves to go and play at a better level, but time will tell through the summer if he can go and get that opportunity.

"That’s down to him and his agent to go and try to get that move.

“But I believe in hindsight and that in six months time if you were to ask Lewis how he feels about it, he’ll feel like it was the best thing for him.

“It gives him the best chance to experience new things and to try something new.

"He’s still young, he’s only 24 and he needs to go and try to get a lot more financial reward for himself.

“He’s been terrific whilst he’s been here for myself, Andy Millen and the other managers that were here before me.

“He’s made over 150 appearances, and that’s all down to Lewis and nobody else and in the main in my time here he’s been my starting left back on merit. Unfortunately he picked up that injury in January which will keep him out for the rest of the season.

“So now it’s about Lewis going to get himself that move that he and others think he deserves.

“We’ve got a duty of care to him to make sure he’s fit for whatever club he goes too over the summer.

"We’ll do everything we can to make sure that he’s back to a level of fitness to go straight into pre-season."

While Strapp will move on, Imrie has confirmed that he hopes to tie down influential winger Jai Quitongo on new terms.

Imrie told the Tele that he’s offered the injured star a new deal and that the ball remains in the player's court as he looks to keep him on for next season.

He said: “Jai’s been offered a contract.

"It’s up to him what he wants to do but the club have made him an offer off the back of his performances this season and we want to keep him here going forward.

“He’s been a very important player for us this season and he’s contributed a lot to the team."