Kilmarnock fulfilled their UEFA pre-match media duties at Rugby Park this afternoon.
Members of the press and photographers were granted 15 minutes of access at the start of today’s training session at 12.30pm.
The subsequent press conference then got underway with the manager shortly after 2pm, before the player follow-up.
Here are the main takeaways from the goings on in sunny East Ayrshire:
Kyle Magennis made his long-awaited return to full training. The midfielder, 26, has been out of action for the best part of nearly a year aside from a very short-lived return at Livingston last December. The former Hibs & St Mirren man was applauded by his teammates as they welcomed him back.
Derek McInnes revealed the player’s latest injury setback was about a scar rubbing on a nerve which was presenting a hamstring strain. The player feels a lot more confident after the latest visit to a specialist and hopefully, he’ll be ‘like a new signing’ after the international break.
Magennis and a few others will be working next week while most of the squad enjoy some well-earned days off after a hectic schedule.
No Kyle Vassell or Robby McCrorie in training. The former could make Thursday night - it’s understood he did his pre-match work yesterday. The latter is doubtful with Kieran O’Hara likely to continue between the sticks.
Robbie Deas and Fraser Murray trained individually with respective knocks.
Meanwhile, McInnes insists his players need to be FC Copenhagen’s ‘worst nightmare’ tomorrow night and make the game ‘awful’ for them.
He wants to harness the power of the noisy home crowd to create another famous night under the lights at Rugby Park.
If the league phase of the Europa Conference League is sealed, the manager admits his Friday will look a lot busier than if not, with ‘three or four players’ required to bolster his squad.
We’ll have the rest of today’s press conference content with you later tonight and tomorrow morning.
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