Jack Ross has no fears over the mindset of Mark Birighitti following a bruising week for the Dundee United goalkeeper.
The Australia international shipped seven goals in Alkmaar last week as AZ ran riot against the Tangerines, including flapping at a cross to allow Vangelis Pavlidis to head into an empty net.
Birighitti conceded a further four against Hearts, parrying a fairly tame Michael Smith shot into the path of Jorge Grant for the strike which made it 3-0, effectively ending the game as a contest.
Fresh from winning A-League goalkeeper of the year with Central Coast Mariners in the last two campaigns, it has been a testing start to Birighitti’s Tannadice career.
But Ross is quick to emphasise the mental toughness within his group — and between the sticks.
“There is always a collective responsibility, as a squad, when you lose games,” said the United boss. “But when you lose matches, there will always be players who are more culpable than others.
“However, players are a lot tougher than some people might realise.
“Mark (Birighitti) has had a career in professional football and played hundreds of games
“The reality is: you only get to this level of football if you have character and mental toughness.
“We are talking about half of a percentage of the population who can play at this level. There are no question marks over that (character).”
Ross added: “It’s up to me — whether it has been a good or bad week — to assess the players and decide who are the best players to go and win the following game.”
Incomings?
In the absence of Dylan Levitt — a doubt for Saturday’s visit of St Mirren — United lined up with Charlie Mulgrew in defensive midfield, underlining the lack of a specialised ‘destroyer’ in the engine room against Hearts on Sunday.
However, Ross played down the likelihood of strengthening in that area.
“At the moment, we are where we are with the squad,” Ross continued.
“Just as we tried to do on Sunday, we need to try to find the best way to piece the puzzle together. There’s certainly nothing imminent in terms of any incomings.
“My perspective has always been: my job as a manager is to make the most of what I’ve got available at any given time. I don’t think I’ve ever looked at the job as anything other than that.”
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