Gavin Gunning said that Swindon Town will not push Harry McKirdy to play more than he is capable of too soon.

McKirdy has been used exclusively from the substitutes bench since returning on loan from Hibernian on transfer deadline day, playing a total of 125 minutes across five appearances so far, finding the back of the net once with a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser against Gillingham.

The 26-year-old had been given increasingly long stints on the pitch in each of Town’s games, prior to playing just 13 minutes against Stockport County and then being an unused substitute during Tuesday’s 3-1 victory against Tranmere Rovers.

The former Player of the Season has been recovering from a heart problem that was discovered over the summer, for which he has since undergone surgery, as he spent six months away from playing before making a return in January with Hibs.

Gunning has previously talked about managing the minutes of many of his January signings as they were brought up to full fitness slowly after having played a limited amount of football during the first half of the season, but McKirdy is the only one who is yet to start a game.

The interim head coach feels that he has a duty of care to his players and wants to make absolutely sure that McKirdy is recovered before exposing him to more action, in a way that he felt some of his own managers did not during his playing days.

Speaking ahead of Swindon hosting Harrogate Town at the County Ground, he said: “For this weekend I would think that he [McKirdy] can do 30 to 45 minutes and then from there hopefully we can build him up.

“You have got to be real, he has done unbelievably well to come back from what he has come back from and we just have to look after him.

“We have a duty of care, it is not just about Harry McKirdy the footballer, it is about Harry McKirdy the human being.

“That is the big part that I take from it, from managers never caring about me and then playing with bad injuries and having to retire so early.

“These guys who come back, whether it is Harry who has had his heart, he needs to get to a certain level of fitness and then play, which he is getting to at the minute. Looking after the players is important.”