Dundee have good news and bad news on the injury front as they prepare to return to Premiership action this weekend at home to Hibs.
Tony Docherty doesn’t have injury problems to seek right now after seeing Ziyad Larkeche ruled out for months with a hamstring tear and Scott Fraser now undergoing surgery.
Fraser pulled up with a groin injury in his first start for the club at Motherwell a month ago and has been out since.
The medical team at Dens Park has, though, identified the root of the problem and an operation is expected to speed up his recovery.
The hope is he’ll be back in around four weeks.
“Scott Fraser is going for an operation,” Docherty said.
“But the good news about that is he should be back for the fixtures around Christmas.
“I’m really frustrated for Scotty. We saw the positive impact he had at Motherwell.
“Frustrating, because I thought he’d get a wee head of steam up. But medically, we’ve got to the bottom of it.
“We’ve addressed that and hopefully, as I say, within a four-week period, I’m hoping he’ll be back and he’ll be contributing as he did previously.
“Because he’s an important player for us.”
Larkeche ‘was doing fantastic’
Larkeche, meanwhile, remains at Dundee but will travel south to get treatment at parent club QPR.
He’s expected to be missing until January at the earliest.
“It is a blow, because he was doing fantastic,” Docherty said.
“He was really, really improving and developing as a player.
“When we first embarked on the loan arrangement with him, similar to the ones we’ve done previously, it was all about his improvement, his development.
“I think he’s shown that in his contribution to most recent games.
“So, disappointed for the boy. But what it does is it creates opportunities for others.
“That’s the importance of the squad.
“Of course, it’s documented, but we’ve lost Joe Shaughnessy, Trevor Carson has had his ups and downs a wee bit and Scott Fraser.
“But you’ll never hear anybody in the club complain about that.
“And that’s why we build a squad, and what it does is it presents opportunities to others, but you do like your influential players being fit and as ready as they can be.
“But we’ll get through this period and they’ll contribute again when they come back in.”
Trevor Carson
One who is available is Fin Robertson after being taken to hospital following a kick to the shin in the defeat to Aberdeen.
The international break, however, came at a good time for him and he has trained throughout. Josh Mulligan also had an issue but has recovered.
And there is good news on goalkeeper Trevor Carson.
“Trevor came out of the team with the knee issue after the St Johnstone game,” Docherty added.
“So he’s missed the last three games but he’s responded to treatment. And obviously the international break has helped as well.
“He’s been back on the training pitch.
“We’ll monitor Trevor closer to kick-off. That’s a positive.”
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