Killie boss Gary Locke determined to keep Greg Kiltie at club
Kilmarnock boss Gary Locke insists he still has a duty of care towards Greg Kiltie - even if he only has three weeks left with the teenager.
Winger Kiltie's Rugby Park deal expires at the end of January and looks set to move on after knocking back Killie's extension offer.
Hibernian have been linked with a move for the 18-year-old but Locke has not given up on persuading his talented youngster to stay put.
However, while the clock is ticking, the manager says it is more important to look after Kiltie's long-term welfare than to pressurise him into signing on again.
Locke said: We're still in talks with Greg and his agent. It's obviously very frustrating as we want to get the lad tied up.
But I'm aware he will have other options. He's playing well at the moment. We'll just have to wait until he makes a decision.
It would be unfair on the lad if I was to have dialogue with him everyday. You've got to let him get on with his football.
He's a lovely lad but we don't want to put him under too much pressure.
You've got to remember what age he is as well. I want him to concentrate on his football and not worry about anything else. If you're a decent manager that's what you would do.
The club has done everything it can to keep him but it's now up to him as to what he wants to do. We think he's a fantastic young talent who would be best off here.
He, though, will make the decision he thinks is best for him.''
Killie take on St Johnstone in Perth on Saturday as they kick-off their William Hill Scottish Cup campaign but will do so without another youngster Mark O'Hara.
The defender injured his ankle in training last week and a worried Locke said: Mark could be out for a wee while. We will just have to see how it settles down. He has been for a scan but it's not showing a lot at the moment, so we will have to wait a couple of weeks and check again.
He might need a wee clean-up op and the worst case scenario would mean he could miss eight to 10 weeks, which would be a nightmare for us.''