Nightmare for McInnes as Main joins Cosgrove on Pittodrie injury list

DEREK McInnes has been hit with a fresh injury blow after confirming Curtis Main has joined fellow striker Sam Cosgrove on Aberdeen’s casualty list.

McInnes was given the nightmare news earlier this week that last season’s top-scorer Cosgrove faces up to twoand-a-half months out of action after tearing knee cartilage during last Saturday’s pre-season clash with Hibernian.

Now to make matters worse, Cosgrove’s understudy Main has also been ruled out of Saturday’s Scottish Premiership curtain-raiser against Rangers with a thigh strain.

The double injury setback means McInnes will now have to ask youngster Bruce Anderson to lead the line against Steven Gerrard’s side – but insists he has full faith in the 21-year-old.

He said: “Sam’s injury is not helped by the fact that Curtis Main is out for

Saturday as well. He’s got a thigh strain so Curtis and Sam are both out. Apart from that everything else is brilliant.

“Bruce has been doing great anyway through preseason so I’ve no qualms about throwing him in.

“We have a young boy who has been champing at the bit. He’s a regular goalscorer and we are fortunate to have him available.”

Cosgrove – who scored 23 times last term – turned down a £2 million move to French second-tier club Guingamp earlier this summer.

McInnes will be denied his services in any case until early October at best, but he admits he is “delighted” the striker is not looking at a longer lay-off.

“It seems a bit silly saying you’re delighted at losing your top scorer for two to three months but it could have been an awful lot worse,” he said.

Curtis Main has a thigh problem.