Kyle Vassell wants to stay at Killie but future could hinge on Premiership survival

Kilmarnock captain Kyle Vassell has revealed he wants to stay at Rugby Park with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.

But the 32-year-old forward admits that his future could depend on the club avoiding relegation and staying in the Premiership.

Derek McInnes’ side are currently ninth in the table and six points ahead of bottom club St Johnstone with five games remaining.

They host Ross County this weekend, with both teams joint on points, in what could be a vital fixture in their hopes of avoiding the drop.

Speaking on Tuesday, Vassell said: “The club want me to stay, and I want to stay as well. I’ve told the club that I just want to get fully fit and get out on the pitch first and then take care of everything else.

“It’s a verbal agreement, not a written one as I haven’t signed a contract, and we are definitely in the right place.

“I’d like to stay here. My kids were born in Kilmarnock, so we have roots here, and I’ve really enjoyed my time here.

“Every team in the bottom six could go down, so we are all in a relegation battle for the next five games.

“That’s frustrating as well because we should comfortably be in the top six with the squad we have.

“I would probably say that my future somewhat depends on whether Kilmarnock are in the top-flight next season, although I have no doubts that we will be in the Premiership next season.

“We now just want to get over the line as quickly as possible so we can enjoy a couple of games at the end of the season.”

Vassell has missed a large part of the season due to an ankle injury.

He was named among the subs for the win over Motherwell two weeks ago, but was again missing for the trip to Celtic Park last week.

However, he insists that was just a flare-up and he will be ready to go if called upon against County as he prepares for a big end to the campaign.

He said: “It was just a flare-up, it has been a really annoying injury, the worst I’ve ever had, and been really tough to get it right.

“It’s been hard, especially being captain, you kind feel like you are letting the team down and letting the club down, but it’s part of football so I can’t think like that.

“Now I’m just focused on playing my part for the rest of the season. It’s been frustrating and now I can’t wait to play the next five games.”