Dundee United manager Jackie McNamara has restated his belief that life will go on just fine without Gary Mackay-Steven and Start Armstrong, who both joined Celtic on transfer deadline day.
The United gaffer said: “Remember, GMS started the season injured and wasn’t always in the team.
“Don’t get me wrong, we will miss him and Stuart but I have said all along that we have a good bunch of boys in there plus younger ones who have come in and shown they are ready and hungry to step up.
“So it is not like I am scratching my head wondering how I am going to replace the boys who left.
“I believe in what we have and that is the biggest message amid the fallout from the lads’ departure.
“There was a lot of talk questioning the club’s ambition for success but for me nothing has changed.
“Of course, I would have liked to have kept them but the board and the club have backed us in everything we have done and I think the right decision was made based on the other factors surrounding the situation.
“For me the most important thing is what we have now.
“The window has closed and we have brought in good players like young Robbie Muirhead and international players like Ryan McGowan, Henri Anier and Paul Dixon.
“So it has not been all about players going out and that is the important message to put across to our supporters.”
McNamara welcomed the decision to returf the Hampden surface in the wake of the criticism the pitch took during and after the two League Cup semi-finals.
He said: “I just hope it settles quickly enough because I think that has been the problem with the existing pitch.
“They said that after the Commonwealth Games in the summer they had replaced the pitch at a time of year when it is difficult to bed in but I don’t think the new pitch could be any worse than it was the other weekend.”
Striker Mario Bilate and defender John Souttar are both back training but will need a couple of weeks before they can be considered for the first team.