GARY DICKER says there will be no hard feelings if Greg Taylor departs Rugby Park after accepting that the Scotland defender is destined to ‘outgrow’ Kilmarnock.

The Ayrshire club’s captain is acutely aware of the ongoing speculation linking Taylor with Celtic, while he has attracted reported interest from Skybet Championship side Hull City and the Bundesliga outfit Nurnberg.

Angelo Alessio, the Kilmarnock manager, has made it clear that he has no intention of letting their prize asset go during this transfer window.

Dicker is similarly keen to see Taylor, who made his Scotland debut against Belgium in June, remain in Ayrshire but insists there will be no hard feelings from inside the dressing room.

The Irishman said: “You always want to keep your best players, but people outgrow clubs sometimes.

“People were surprised when Greg started for Scotland but none of the boys at Kilmarnock were because we know what he can do.

“He’s not fazed by much, has a great attitude and doesn’t let things go to his head.

“If he’s here for the season then I’d be delighted but if he does get a big move then I don’t think anyone would begrudge him that, particularly at the age he is.”

Still only 21, Taylor has already made 131 appearances for the club after making his senior debut during the fight for Premiership survival at the end of the 2015/16 campaign.

Dicker firmly believes the roller-coaster journey from battling relegation to qualifying for Europe during his time at Rugby Park will steel him for his next challenge – even if that proves to be at Celtic.

Asked specifically how Taylor would handle life in Glasgow, Dicker told the BBC: “He has a good character about him, he’s not shy, he’s confident. He’s not afraid to say stuff in the dressing room or on the training pitch.

“Being here for the last few years when we have been suffering – especially when he first game into the team – was a real challenge for him. He came into the side when we were in the [relegation] playoffs and they were massive games for the club. He handled that situation well and has got better every season.”

Dicker, meanwhile, acknowledges that Kilmarnock’s players deserve a ‘backlash’ following a nightmare start to the season under new manager Alessio.

Kilmarnock’s fine feat in qualifying for Europe last term went up in smoke in the space of one humiliating tie against Welsh minnows Connah’s Quay Nomads, as they crashed out of the Europa League at the first hurdle with a 2-1 defeat.

Successive league losses against Rangers and Hamilton followed amid rumours of dressing room unrest.

However, Dicker is praying their extra-time Betfred Cup triumph over Hamilton Academical on Saturday proves to be a turning point.

He continued: “We haven’t had the greatest of starts. It’s been really tough. But it’s the same players that were out there last year so I think we’ve got to take a bit of the backlash that we’ve been getting.

“It’s always going to be difficult when you’re changing, you’re trying to get new players in as well. You’re always going to get that phase where it’s not going to go as smooth. Nothing is stable in football. You’ve got to accept there’s going to be change.”

Dicker added: “We want to finish in the top half of the table. If we don’t finish there, I’ll be disappointed and I’m sure there’ll be 25 lads in that dressing room that are disappointed.”