MORTON manager Dougie Imrie says that Jai Quitongo has a big summer ahead as he looks to kick on from a near perfect comeback season after returning to Cappielow.

The winger became a vital part of Imrie's high pressing system and left his gaffer delighted earlier this week as he penned a new deal at the club keeping him at Cappielow until June 2024.

Imrie hopes that the 25-year-old can use the summer to fully get over the thigh injury that kept him out for large parts of the run in and has plans in place to be able to use him to full effect.

He told the Tele: "Jai played a lot of football last season, compared to what he had done in the seasons prior to that.

"It was a significant one for him because it was the first time he’s played back to back 90 minutes and had that much exposure to first team football for a few years.

"I think it's fair to say that it caught up with him towards the end of the season.

"He picked up his thigh injury in March and it really limited the impact that he was able to have, even when he featured against Inverness and Ayr.

"He came back and did exceptionally well in the final two games against Queen's Park and then against Cove, but even at that he was still feeling a bit sore after that game and it's fair to say that we missed him in the run-in, he carried us at points through the season.

"For players who haven't had the exposure it probably does take its toll, it was a long hard season and he played a lot of football over the winter where the pitches were that bit heavier.

"So for Jai, it's a big summer for him, he has to look after himself so that he comes back in the best condition but also so that he allows himself to recover properly, so that he can maintain the standards that he set himself this season."

Imrie admits the footballing landscape has changed so much since he first made his way in the game and that players are now considered athletes as opposed to footballers.

He hopes that the club's younger players will learn to cope with the demands upon them.

Imrie said: "Football's changed so much, back when I first started as a professional you could maybe rely on talent and ability to get you through games, but that's not the case now.

"You've got sports scientists who track your running stats and things like that, and first and foremost footballers are professional athletes now before anything, it's all evolved that much.

"That's a thing for our younger lads to maybe think about, they might want to play all the time but if they've not had the exposure and you suddenly throw them in at the deep end it could have a detrimental effect.

"That's why we need to manage them the right way, but it's also why they need to keep themselves fit over the summer months."