Dundee United stars Louis Moult and Ross Graham have returned to “modified” training ahead of the Tangerines’ trip to face Rangers.
Moult, 31, has been absent since taking a rap on the knee during United’s thrilling 3-3 draw against Kilmarnock on September 28; a fixture in which he netted the opening goal.
That set-back has proved more severe than initially thought, with the player sustaining bruising to the bone. Nevertheless, he is back on the grass following the international hiatus.
The same can be said for towering centre-back Graham, who has been sidelined for five weeks with a hamstring complaint – interrupting a superb run of form that even saw him tipped for Scotland honours by teammate Declan Gallagher.
While Goodwin is loathe to guarantee either man will be in the matchday squad for an onerous visit to Govan, he is content with the progress being made.
“We’ve got Ross Graham and Louis Moult doing modified sessions this week,” confirmed the Tannadice gaffer.
“I’d be reluctant to get any supporters’ hopes up and say they’ll definitely be available for the weekend. We are being tentative for the moment.
“However, they are making good progress, over the worst of it and hopefully won’t be too far away.”
Goodwin: January will give ‘fairer reflection’
He added: “The international breaks have made the season really stop-start. No doubt about that. But sometimes, with the injuries we’ve had, it’s not a bad thing to have that wee break and let some of the boys recover.
“We’ve got a busy schedule between now and the New Year; lots of big, important games and plenty to look forward to. It’s going to be tough. We need players back fit and to have a more competitive squad than we’ve had in recent weeks.”
Indeed, Goodwin believes the gruelling run of fixtures over the festive period – particularly the seven games in 20 days from December 22 – will afford a far better idea of where the Tangerines stand this term.
Those matches include Celtic home and away, Aberdeen, Dundee and Hearts.
So, while heartened by the start to the season United have made, Goodwin has been emphasising the need to maintain standards of performance and work ethic.
Standards
“I tend not to spend too much time looking at the league table at this time of the year,” said Goodwin of United’s lofty fourth-placed berth.
“When you come through that busy Christmas period and into the middle of January, then you have a much fairer reflection of the league.
“It’s been a positive start but our message to the players and staff has always been to not get carried away, and not to listen to the outside noise. We’ll stay focused and concentrate on the job at hand.
“We have good, experienced players within the group who have been there, seen it and know that if you drop standards – even slightly – then things will go awry. We are always relaying that message; don’t start looking too far ahead.”
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