Etxabeguren nears a first-team return

DUNDEE defender Julen Etxabeguren is nearing a return to first-team action to boost manager Neil McCann’s defensive options.

The Basque centre-back’s season has been almost totally wiped out by injury.

He missed the first half of the campaign as he recovered from a torn Achilles tendon picked up at the end of last season.

Etxabeguren made his only appearance of the season on December 30 at St Johnstone before falling injured once more, damaging a shoulder in training.

Now, though, he’s training and played the full 90 minutes for the club’s Development side in their 5-1 win over Partick Thistle on Tuesday night.

That means, all going well, he’ll be in contention for the first team’s next outing at home to Hearts next Sunday.

With Steven Caulker, Josh Meekings, Darren O’Dea and possibly Genseric Kusunga, who missed the loss at Aberdeen because of injury, to displace, he’s got some work to do.

Kerr Waddell is another pushing for a first-team return after netting a free-kick for the 20s in that game at Links Park.

However, gaffer Neil was happy with his side’s backline of O’Dea, Caulker and Meekings for much of the 1-0 reverse at Pittodrie.

He said: “You’re fighting for every quarter because it was going to be more of a physical game, it was never going to be about football — we told them that.

“We told them if they could get it down then, of course, try to get it down but A-Jay Leitch-Smith’s miss was a pivotal moment in the match.

“In the game, I thought we had defended well.

“Even though Derek McInnes played with the three up front, they didn’t do an awful lot to hurt us.

“I thought Steven Caulker coped quite well defensively but the problem in the second half was it was difficult to get out.

“Our two midfielders in Glen Kamara and Paul McGowan playing deep were so determined to help out defensively that, when we alleviated pressure, the ball just kept coming back.”

Neil added: “I thought the two Aberdeen centre-backs were excellent in being aggressive and not letting our strikers get a hold of it.”

Julen Etxabeguren beats his man to a header as Dundee U/20s see off their Partick Thistle opponents 5-1 at Links Park.