Csaba Laszlo knows Dundee United have the quality to succeed this season and now he’s hoping for just a little luck to go with it.
He tries to avoid discussing it but, since he took over at Tannadice last November, he admits he’s been cursed by injuries to key performers.
After an encouraging start to his time in charge, in the space of a few weeks either side of the turn of the year he lost three big players to long-term problems and admits that killed United’s season.
“I do hope we get some luck because last season in the first five games we were fantastic but then Fraser Fyvie, Scott Fraser and James Keatings all got serious injuries in a short time and we went down the way,” he said.
“And while it is good that, right now, we don’t have serious injuries like we had then, small things have hit us.
“Callum Booth got just a knock at Ross County but it has been very painful and it was sensitive. It stopped him playing against Alloa. Craig Curran, from nothing, got the dead leg and still was fighting to push back the inflammation this week.
“It was a crazy thing. The ball was not even near and he just turned and collided with a Cowdenbeath player in our closed-door game against him.
“It was an accident, nothing, but it meant he could not play our first three games.
“And Billy King was unbelievable. The first day he came in for pre-season we hadn’t really done anything when he said ‘gaffer I think there is something wrong, I have pain’.
“It was a problem with his thigh and he hasn’t really kicked a ball because of it but we have been working with him and I hope he will train with us next week.
“Curran and King are goalscorers, so to have them fit will be a big thing.
“If we can, then be without too many injuries, it will be very good for the team as we go forward.”
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