Motherwell players have five games to influence who will be part of Michael Wimmer's squad plans next season

Michael Wimmer has thrown down the gauntlet to his Motherwell players by declaring they’ve got five games to prove they deserve to be part of his squad heading into next season as they battle for Premiership survival.

The Fir Park boss revealed he will use the remainder of this campaign to make a judgement call on who will remain part of his plans going forward after narrowly missing out on a place in the top-six this term.

The Steelmen currently sit eighth, five points above the relegation play-off spot and one behind Hearts in seventh ahead of facing bottom-of-the-table St Johnstone this weekend. Three points will give Wimmer’s side some breathing space as he begins to put his own stamp on the team, but insists no team in the bottom half are safe from the drop yet.

“The games from now on will all be very tough and very tight games, they will be decided by small details so we have to be ready and prepared for that,” Wimmer admitted. “Every team in the bottom six is in a relegation fight now, no team can feel safe because it is so tight and we will need to bring our best performance in every game.

“You are only safe when it is mathematically possible, so there is a long way to go. I have been very impressed by the attitude and work ethic from our players, they give everything in every training session, they are ready to learn and implement new ideas.

“I am also hoping to add new players in the summer to improve the squad to make it easier to implement the style I want to play. I think I have a clear picture now of the team we have and the players here.

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“At this stage of the season it is now important to show character and give everything, everything on the pitch and everything for this club, to show who wants to stay and play for this club next season.

“It is good for me to see who has the heart to play for Motherwell and secure our status in the league as soon as possible. This is a perfect situation for that and to influence my decisions on the squad for next season.”