Goalkeeper Adam Legzdins is nearing a return for Dundee after four months out with a knee injury.
The 35-year-old missed the entire run-in last season as the Dark Blues suffered the disappointment of relegation back to the Championship.
His last game for the club came in a 2-1 home defeat to Ross County in February shortly before manager James McPake was shown the door at Dens.
In came the vastly-experienced Mark McGhee as his replacement but there was no upturn in results as Dundee’s season crumbled.
‘Counterproductive’
For Legzdins on the sidelines, it was incredibly frustrating to be unable to help the team.
But his frustrations were increased by “mixed messages” from McGhee on the state of Legzdins’ knee injury.
But Legzdins says that was never likely and was “not helpful”.
The former Burnley and Birmingham keeper said: “There were mixed messages but it wasn’t up to me to correct things as there were bigger and more important things going on at the time.
“It was simple – I was injured after the Ross County game and it looked like I would be out for a period of time.
“I then spent the rest of the season battling to get back.
“It looked unlikely and it turned out that way but it wasn’t without trying and me exploring every opportunity to try to get myself back on the pitch.
“I probably wasn’t ever as close as some of the indications from the last manager but that’s been and gone now.
“I think inaccuracies in what was being said were counterproductive and not helpful.
Illness
“I also picked up an illness at the same time as getting injured.
“It was quite a nasty illness that just ruled me out for the first few weeks but it coincided with me being injured.
“In fairness to James McPake, the manager at the time, there was no need to distinguish whether I was injured or ill.
“At the same time we all hoped I would get fit so the few weeks I had off with my illness we thought that would give me time to rest my injury and I would get back.
“But it just didn’t settle down as we hoped.”
Playing through the pain
Legzdins revealed he had been struggling with the knee injury through matches until it was beyond manageable.
He was rested for a cup match at Dumbarton where Ian Lawlor made his Dundee debut but could only last three more matches before the injury became too much.
“It was the tendon in my knee. It was an issue that I had been managing for a while,” the former Derby County man added.
Adam Legzdins was there to model one of the goalkeeper kits #thedee pic.twitter.com/3DgQCYyFQy
— Dundee Football Club (@DundeeFC) June 16, 2022
“However, it just got to the point where we had to make a decision to try to give myself the best opportunity to play the most amount of games for the rest of the season but it just didn’t work out.
“It was really tough playing with the injury and very painful.
“We tried to manage it and the old manager was very good with it.
“It was something that just didn’t settle down but I was very lucky as the club sent me to the top specialist in London who deals with these things.
“I have been working with him closely since and I have had a vigorous off-season working every minute to get the knee right.
“I go down to see him again this week and fingers crossed we can then make plans going forward into pre-season.”
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