Dundee boss Paul Hartley believes that if Simon Ferry can finally steer clear of injury and illness, it will be like having a new signing in place as the season edges to a conclusion.
The midfielder has endured a frustrating campaign so far, making just 17 appearances and netting only one goal since signing at Dens last summer from Portsmouth.
His failure to establish himself as a regular for Hartley is a result of a miserable run of luck with injuries with the player also being struck down in October by a sickness bug which required hospital treatment.
Now, though, Ferry has battled his way back to fitness and was handed a start against Aberdeen at the weekend, helping the Dark Blues draw against Derek McInnes’s title-chasing side.
Hartley said: “Simon has trained really well over the last two or three weeks.
“But he needs to get a run of games now to get the confidence back and stay healthy. It’s been a stop-start season for him, to be honest.
“I think we’ve got a good player if we can keep him healthy. It would be like a new signing for us.
“We’ve been speaking to him and he needs to train every day. He needs to get his fitness levels up.
Hartley added: “But he has been terrific on the training ground recently and looked the part. He’s really looked sharp and back to his best.
“The virus floored him for a couple of weeks and then he’s had a couple of knocks and ankle injuries.
“It’s just been unfortunate for him with injury and illness. It’s part and parcel of what can happen in the game. We can’t help that sometimes.”