Dundee boss Paul Hartley has revealed that Peter MacDonald is a doubt for Saturday’s game against his former side St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.
The veteran striker picked up a knock during the draw with champions Celtic two weekends ago and has been forced to sit out training ever since.
Now, 33-year-old “Peaso” is facing a race against time to be fit for the clash with Saints.
Hartley said: “The boys are in good spirits. They’ve had a couple of days off but are back in and will be ready for the game on Saturday. We’re hoping Kevin Thomson will be back training this week. Willie Dyer will be out for another couple of weeks.
“Peaso got the knock against Celtic so he was struggling.
“He had a terrific first half but he just took a knock. He’s not trained all week since. Everybody else is good to go.”
Regardless if MacDonald is fit for the game with Dundee’s Tayside rivals on Saturday, Hartley admitted that he has been really pleased with the start to the season the striker has made.
And taking MacDonald’s age into consideration, the manager is determined to carefully calculate just how much game time he will give him this season to ensure he stays fresh.
Hartley said: “Peaso has been good. We have spoken to him in terms of what age he is at now and how many games he can play.
“We’ll be dipping him in and out of the team in terms of starting games. He’ll be an impact player because he’s not getting any younger and the demands of the Premier League are hard.
“We need to look after him but I think he’s been excellent in the games he’s played so far. I think he’s looked after himself in the past couple of years.
“He realises now you have to do that to prolong your career. We have to manage him and make sure he’s in the best possible condition to last the rest of the season.”
Dundee goalie Kyle Letheren also missed training on Monday. However, that’s because he is away with the Wales squad preparing for their 2016 Euro qualifier opener in Andorra.
Like everyone else at Dens, Hartley is keeping his fingers crossed that Letheren will win his first cap for his country.
Hartley said: “Kyle has been excellent. Even just being part of the squad, it shows how well the club is doing and Kyle also. I’m delighted for him and I’ll keep a close eye on that game.
“Kyle now knows he’s being challenged for the No.1 jersey by Scott Bain. That’s what we want all over the park. It’s competition we’re after and Kyle has definitely risen to the challenge.”