Dundee United will have to wait up to six weeks for the return to action of star midfielder Fraser Fyvie.
Fyvie, who has been named captain for this season by boss Csaba Laszlo, has been training hard on his own at United’s St Andrews base as he recovers from the serious knee injury that saw him miss the latter half of last season.
However, it is likely to be the tail end of next month before fans see the 25-year-old former Hibs and Aberdeen man playing in tangerine again.
Laszlo said: “We really miss him.
“Fraser should be good to join the group (for training) after next week.
“Maybe in the next six weeks he will be back for real.
“He needs games but we need to build him up gradually. We will maybe play him in the reserves first and then get 20 or 30 minutes in the first team eventually.
“He can train but this is completely different from playing.
“He needs to feel right about his leg when it comes to playing and that is different from just training.”
In the meantime, Laszlo has told his players, who face a tricky trip to Queen of the South on Saturday, that they can’t just dream of the day when they get their key man back.
He added: “I’ve told the team you cannot just wait for Fraser Fyvie – or Billy KIng or Stewart Murdoch for that matter – to get fit and come good.
“You have to go and deliver yourself.
“It’s not just your job to be in the shadow of these players.
“So my message to the players is to go in and deliver and rise to the challenge.”
