Dens boss anticipates the return of absentees

DUNDEE: Mcpake holding on to positives in a time of great uncertainty

There are few positives in the situation the world finds itself in right now but Dundee boss James Mcpake is determined to see some – getting longterm absentees back when football restarts is one.

It has been around a fortnight since the authorities called a halt to Scottish football as the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic became apparent.

That’s seen training stopped to prevent infection spreading but those on the injury comeback trail are still hard at work in their recovery programmes.

Players like Jordan Marshall, who has been out of action since the end of January with a severe thigh strain and wasn’t expected to return to first-team duty for a number of weeks, and loanee Ross Callachan, whose time at the club was brought to an early end with a fractured leg, may still play a part in the Dark Blues’ play-off push – if this season restarts anyway.

Defender Jordan Mcghee will also be fully recovered from wrist surgery that had seen him play with a protective cast in draws against Alloa and Ayr.

What happens with loan deals and player contracts which expire in June are still to be decided but there’s a chance both those players could return this season.

Dens boss Mcpake said: “We have players coming back from injury who are really close but now we are in a situation where we don’t know how hard we push them and when to get them back for.

“That’s a purely football thing that we are thinking about, there’s obviously a bigger picture with public health.

“With the shutdown, a few clubs will be getting long-term injuries back.

“Take Dunfermline, they’ve had a few players out.

“For us, Jordan Marshall is almost fit, Graham Dorrans picked up an injury before the Dunfermline game – a calf strain that would have kept him out for 10 days.

“Who knows when we get back to training and playing, we’ll have Jordan Marshall back and Jordan Mcghee will have the protective cast off.

“You can take that as a positive, I suppose, at this time from a football viewpoint, but it’s a difficult time for everybody.”

Jordan Marshall may still have a part to play in play-off push.