Defensive injuries are costing Dundee points says manager Tony Docherty.
And the fitness woes show no sign of easing.
The Dark Blues have four central defenders out right now with none expected to return for Sunday’s trip to St Johnstone.
And the expectation is Billy Koumetio will be absent for a significant period. Jordan McGhee, too, will miss a number of upcoming games with a hamstring injury.
That adds to six weeks out for Antonio Portales and a number of weeks yet for skipper Joe Shaughnessy in his lengthy recovery from a cruciate ligament injury.
Left wing-back Ziyad Larkeche is also not expected back for a few weeks with his hamstring issue.
Clark Robertson
One who did return is Clark Robertson in the derby defeat to Dundee United.
Though Docherty admits he was rushed back sooner than would normally be the case.
“Clark Robertson came back but had only trained for one day,” the Dens boss said.
“So, in normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have played in that match.
“But because of the type of boy he is and because of the situation we’re in, I had to play him.
“And I think you may have seen that was a contributing factor in the last goal.
“He’s looking over at the bench and he’s struggling at that stage of the game.
Experience
“But it’s that area of the pitch where not having experienced defenders has cost us this season, absolutely.
“Billy Koumetio had his scan and will be out for a length of time.
“We’ve also got Jordan McGhee, Antonio Portales and Joe Shaughnessy out, they are big players for me.
“We’ll look at that as a group and see what we can do to try and make things right.”
How long are Koumetio and McGhee out?
Dundee’s McGhee and Koumetio both pulled up with injury at the same time in last weekend’s win at St Mirren.
McGhee damaged a hamstring and is expected to miss a few weeks.
Koumetio, however, will be out for much longer.
He went over his ankle on the sideline in Paisley and scan results have struck Dundee’s defensive options another big blow.
The young Frenchman will miss the next three months of action.
Twelve weeks would take him into April, around the time of the Premiership’s split.
With five games remaining in January, it’s likely Docherty and Dundee will have to cope without McGhee, Portales, Shaughnessy, Koumetio and Larkeche for the majority of those matches.
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