Told McPake to bid to ease pain

But I’m like, ‘Are these two being serious?’

“I think it was only then that it sunk in that it must be bad.

“I watched the tackle back again – I got it sent to me.

“I thought, ‘That’s me, I can’t see a way back from this’.”

He added: “Do I regret the challenge? Yeah because arguably I could say if I didn’t go in it, who knows what could’ve happened?

“Also, if I didn’t go in it, would I be sitting here as the Dundee manager? I very much doubt it.

“There are two ways to look at it.”

James – who, before the shutdown, saw his side sit third in the Championship after six matches unbeaten and five clean sheets in a row – is enjoying life in the Dee hot seat after being appointed last May.

He said: “Similar to Hibs, I didn’t realise how big they (Dundee) were – and how big the local rivalry was – until I joined.

“I remember going up (to Dens Park) and Paul Hartley saying, ‘We want to be better than them down the road’.

“I thought this is going to be good, this is like Hearts and Hibs again.”

Coincidentally, the debut goal of James’ professional career was playing in attack for Livingston against Dundee i n a 1-0 win i n 2004.

He said: “I wasn’t great as a striker, I’ll admit that. Subconsciously (playing up front) it probably did help me though (as a defender).

“As a striker I was good at the same things I was good at as a centre-back – tackling and heading the ball.

“I was quick at one point believe it or not. By the time I came to Dundee I’d lost a wee bit of pace, or some will say a big bit of pace.”

Dundee derby at Dens in January 2016. The injury sustained effectively ended McPake’s playing career.