ELLIOTT Frear is concerned that Motherwell teammate Carl McHugh may have a decision to make over his future after suffering yet another concussion at Celtic Park last weekend.

McHugh was stretchered from the field after a collision with Odsonne Edouard. The former Fir Park skipper was also sidelined for a lengthy spell in his first season at the club after a head-clash against Kilmarnock on the opening day of the campaign, and his manager Stephen Robinson has admitted he is concerned about his player after he was knocked out for an incredible fourth time this term at the weekend.

Frear himself struggled to fight his way back to full fitness, both in a physical and mental sense, after suffering his own bout of concussion last year. And while he says that McHugh looks to be recovering well, he should also remember that there is more to life than football.

“I feel for him,” Frear said. “It looked a really bad one. We’ve just seen him about the place in the last few days and he seems alright.

“I think he was a little bit worried about how easily he got knocked out, so he’s going to make a decision, or him and his family are probably going to make a decision, and just go with that really. There’s a lot more to life than football, so we’ll just see how he goes.

“I think it really scared him and the gaffer said that after the game. Obviously, all the boys were really worried for him, but honestly in the last few days he’s looked really well and I think he’s passed all the concussion tests, so I hope he’s alright.”

Frear hasn’t spoken to McHugh about his own experiences yet, but he believes their situations are different in any case due to the positions they play in.

“He’s gone through a lot more than I have, so I can’t really say a lot to him, but it’s not a nice thing and you have to weigh up what you want really,” he said.

“In the position I play, I don’t really head the ball a lot, and where he plays – either in midfield or at the back – he’s heading the ball all the time and he’s getting that contact all the time.

“You’ve got to build yourself back up, and particularly where he plays, he is taking those hits all the time.

“He was playing against big Uche (Ikpeazu) the other day, and you have to psyche yourself up. Mentally, it’s a massive thing.

“Hopefully he can get back to where he was, but it can take a long time.”

Motherwell travel back to Rugby Park today after their midweek match against Kilmarnock was abandoned due to fog.

The Fir Park club are paying the entry fee for the supporters who travelled in midweek, and assistant manager Keith Lasley hopes they are rewarded by taking a large following in Ayrshire.

“We had over 650 fans at Killie which was great for a Wednesday night so hopefully we’ll get more on Saturday,” he said.

“It’s great to play in from of them and they can give us a boost.”