DONS IN CUP FINAL SWEAT OVER DEVLIN
ABERDEEN face an anxious wait to see if Mikey Devlin will be fit for the Betfred Cup Final.
The defender was forced to pull out of the Scotland squad for the trip to Albania with a foot injury.
He has severe swelling and the Pittodrie medical team will have to wait for that to subside before they can get the 25-year-old’s foot scanned.
Boss Derek McInnes hopes that they will be in a position to get it done at the start of next week.
The Dons face a tough trip to Motherwell in the Premiership next Saturday and then have the Hampden showdown with Celtic on Sunday December 2.
While McInnes is sweating on Devlin being fit in time for the showpiece, he has been boosted by the news fellow Reds defender Mark Reynolds is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a knee injury.
It was initially feared the experienced centre-back would be out until February or March but he could now be pushing for a top-team return during the winter break.
McInnes said: “If Mark gets close to coming back around January he has done extremely well.
“Mark is flying and is doing terrifically. He keeps getting the go-ahead from the surgeon.
“He has had that several times over the last wee while at different stages so that he can keep pushing on. “Mark has given absolutely everything. He is out running and doing the warm-ups with the other players.
“There might be some set-backs with the type of injury this is but it is all systems go.
“Mark has been fantastic and the physios could not be more pleased with him. It can be a seven to eight-month injury.
“But considering it only happened in July, as good as Mark is doing and as encouraged as we are, we have to be careful.
“It is still a serious injury and we have to treat it that way.”
Aberdeen are also hoping that on-loan Watford defender Tommie Hoban will also be fit to return to action in the new year.
The 24-year-old has undergone shoulder surgery and is doing his rehabilitation back with his parent club.