Kilmarnock boss believes 'old school' skipper will have new lease of life after injury woes

Derek McInnes believes his Kilmarnock skipper Kyle Vassell can be even better this season now that his injury woes are behind him.

The 31-year-old barely trained for large parts of last term due to a groin injury but off-season surgery was carried out in a bid to rectify that issue going forward.

And that could make him even more dangerous for Premiership defences as he looks to lead the Killie front-line once again.

The former Blackpool and Rotherham United striker bagged 11 goals across all competitions during his first full season in Ayrshire and formed a tremendous partnership with Marley Watkins as Killie sealed fourth place in the SPFL Premiership table.

McInnes said: “Vass is only 31, but we have asked a lot of him in his time with us. He has come back pre-season and he just looks free, training more naturally and at ease.

“He has attacked the work, he has done every session. He had a wee bit of a thigh thing after the game in Marbella, but we rested him a couple of days and he didn’t play against TNS as a precaution.

“But Vassell is a bit old-school in the sense there are players who rule themselves out of games on a Monday and you are thinking: ‘There’s still plenty of time.’

“Someone like Vassell always rules himself in, even when others might rule themselves out with what he has had to deal with, so we are hoping with the surgery he has had, he’ll get a bit of respite and be even better.”

He added: “Everyone needs to train. Some players you can manage their training, but you still need your days and that intensity during the week.

“We’ve had to give that intensity not always through football work, but the gym and bikes and stuff like that.”

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