Kristijan Trapanovski fitness latest as Dundee United boss stays cool on Will Ferry absence

Kristijan Trapanovski is set to return to the Dundee United fold following five weeks on the sidelines.

The Macedonian winger has been absent since limping off with a hamstring strain in the Tangerines’ 1-1 draw with Hibernian last month.

That was a recurrence of a similar set-back that saw Trapanovski miss a month of action.

However, the 25-year-old has returned to full fitness and, providing he can navigate a week of training unscathed, he will be part of the match-day squad for Saturday’s crunch showdown with Motherwell.

“I’m very hopeful on Trapa (Trapanovski),” said Goodwin. “He’s been training well this week and is in a good place.

“We’ll just see how he comes through the week. Hopefully, there will be no negative reaction, he can get a full week’s training under his belt and – fingers crossed – can be added to the squad for the weekend.”

Goodwin added: “Doc (Ross Docherty) is in among it, too. We are taking small steps with Doc and not putting too much pressure on him, but I’m glad to say he’s back with the group. It would be good to have him available, if possible.”

Will Ferry options

While Trapanovski looks a safe bet to be in contention for the trip to North Lanarkshire, the same cannot be said for Will Ferry, who will miss out after picking up his sixth booking of the campaign against Kilmarnock.

There is no like-for-like replacement for the marauding left wing-back in the United squad but Goodwin firmly believes his group can cope with Ferry’s absence.

“The bookings have mounted up and it’s unfortunate that we’ll miss Will for such an important game,” said Goodwin. “But he’s that type of player – he’s a tenacious character and gets stuck in.

“However, we need to see it as an opportunity for someone else, and Will will be chomping at the bit to get back in the team the following week (against Celtic).

“We do have decisions to make about personnel and formation at the weekend. We’ll come up with what we believe is an effective plan to go to Fir Park. We feel we have players who can fill in, so it’s not a major concern for us.”