Chalmers keen to keep his feet firmly on the ground

know how long it was going to be until I got a scan.

“I’m the kind of player that wants to push too much and I didn’t like being out of the side for too long. It was frustrating but I’m just happy to be back now.”

Aberdeen’s visit to Tannadice today is United’s final game before the split, with a poor run of form between late December and early February meaning they will almost certainly be in the bottom six.

United will need to defeat Aberdeen and hope that St Mirren lose against Hamilton, along with an eight-goal swing, to have any chance of playing top six football.

They will also have to rely on St. Johnstone not picking up three points against Ross County.

“We know now that top six probably can’t happen but we just have to make sure that we take each game and try and finish the season as strongly as we can for building up going into next season,” said Chalmers

Tangerines captain Mark Reynolds meanwhile believes the managerless Dons will be something of an unknown quantity.

Former Aberdeen defender Reynolds believes the change in leadership will have a “huge influence” on the game.

He said: “Obviously there is always a lift when a manager leaves and a new manager comes in. I know they have not replaced him (McInnes) but they (Paul Sheerin, Barry Robson and Neil Simpson) will want to do well and prove their credentials as managers leading an Aberdeen first team which is a huge opportunity for them as individuals.

“They are going to be dangerous and for us, it is more about the unknown.

“We don’t know how they are going to react or what the new regime are going to implement, we don’t know the style of play they will be after or what the principles of play are, do they sit off or come after it?

“It will have a huge influence on the game. But for us, all we can focus on and control is what we do on the pitch and we feel we are finding a way of play that suits us and gets us success and if we concentrate on that and bring it to the game we feel we can get a result.”