THE 2019/20 campaign hasn't exactly been a vintage one so far for St Johnstone. The club have spent the majority of the season toiling at the foot of the Premiership standings, although a recent run of five games unbeaten - with just a solitary goal conceded - meant that the Perth club finished the calendar year on a high.
Goals have been hard to come by for the Saints this season and Wright's side are currently the league's lowest-scoring side with just 16 to their name, which is an obvious concern. But when we look a little further back, there are reasons to be optimistic. Primarily, the emergence of Ali McCann in the Saints midfield.
The St Johnstone youth product spent the second half of last season on loan at Stranraer in League One, helping the club survive a relegation battle, and McCann has now made himself one of the first names on the teamsheet at McDiarmid Park after a superb first half of the campaign.
At 20 years old, McCann is already proving to be one of the best players in his age group in the top flight. As somewhere between a traditional number six and a box-to-box midfielder, McCann is expected to contribute to both attacking and defensive phases of play, and he has done so admirably since making the step up to the Saints first team.
The central midfielder has become a key cog in Wright's midfield and when we examine McCann's statistics, it isn't difficult to see why. He has hit the fourth-most passes (643) of any player aged 21 or under in the Premiership with only Kristoffer Ajer, Lewis Ferguson and Ryan Porteous attempting more.
Having said that, McCann could probably be a little more accurate when attempting to find his team-mates; his passes reach their intended target around 80 per cent of the time. Not a bad figure by any stretch (this is about the same as Aberdeen's Ferguson) but it's still an area where the youngster could improve.
The ability to pick out a player in the final third is an invaluable asset to any side and by this metric, McCann is once again one of the leading players within his age range. Celtic defender Ajer (163) is the Premiership's only player under 22 to have hit more of these passes this season, and only Ajer and Hearts pair Aaron Hickey and Andy Irving are more accurate in this regard.
Secondary assists are passes that lead directly to an assist - an 'assist assist', if you like - and McCann has more of these than any other Premiership player, of any age, bar two: Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo and Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard. This type of pass doesn't get as much attention as an assist for obvious reasons, but they remain a crucial factor in a side's build-up play and McCann's contribution here is telling of a player who is quietly pulling the strings.
For players aged under 22, Aberdeen's Ferguson is the league's only player to have attempted more defensive duels this season. Of these, around 60 per cent of McCann's are successful; the second-highest rate of any midfielder in this age grouping, only narrowly behind St Mirren's Kyle Magennis (62 per cent). The same two players have completed the most interceptions (84) of any midfielder in their age range in the Premiership, showing their value to their respective teams off the ball.
Comparisons can certainly be drawn between Ferguson at Aberdeen and McCann, but with one crucial distinction. Ferguson has form for a lack of discipline and has already given away 60 fouls this season; McCann, meanwhile, has given away just 30.
For a player enjoying their maiden Premiership campaign, McCann's progress has been startling. He is among the best-performing players in many of the key metrics for someone in his position at his age, and is doing so in a St Johnstone side that have generally underwhelmed. Wright clearly values the young midfielder - McCann signed a long-term contract extension last month - and the Saints boss clearly has big plans for the youth product. After such an impressive start to top-flight football, it isn't hard to see why.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here