Partick Thistle suffer Stuart Bannigan injury blow

Inverness Caledonian Thistle hope to sign Stuart Bannigan

Partick Thistle's bid for a Scottish Premiership top-six finish has suffered a blow with a long-term injury to influential midfielder Stuart Bannigan.

The 23-year-old is waiting to see a specialist to find out the extent of the damage to his knee.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle have informed Thistle they intend to speak to Bannigan and fellow midfielders Steven Lawless and Abdul Osman.

Caley Thistle want to sign the trio who are out of contract in the summer.

However, the are still wanted by their present club and Caley Thistle manager John Hughes has admitted that he is struggling to recruit players for next season.

Partick Thistle midfielder Abdul Osman (left) is wanted by Inverness Caley Thistle

He is looking to replace midfield pair James Vincent and Danny Williams, who have signed pre-contract agreements to join Dundee, and striker Miles Storey, who is out of contract at Swindon Town at the end of his loan spell.

Former Scotland Under-21 international Bannigan came through the Firhill youth ranks and made 161 appearances for the Glasgow side.

Dundee United revealed in January that they had approached the 24-year-old Lawless, who joined Thistle from Motherwell in 2012.

Ghanaian Osman, the 29-year-old who signed for Thistle after leaving Crewe Alexandra in 2014, is in his second spell in Scotland's top flight having previously played for Gretna.

Alan Archibald's side presently lie eighth in Scotland's top flight, one place and one point above Caley Thistle.