The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Fuchs forced to wait to see medic
Dundee Uni ted’ s attempt to have midfielder Jeando Fuchs see a surgeon is being frustrated by the coronavirus crisis.
The Cameroon international is feared to have damaged his knee ligaments during last month’s home game against Motherwell but has yet to receive a definitive diagnosis.
The Tangerines had hoped to get him seen by a medical expert this week but have been thwarted so far.
Tannadice boss Micky Mellon said: “We keep using this Covid thing but it is difficult to get him in to see the relevant specialist at the right time.
“It is a strange one. “In and around the place he feels fine but the scan that we got showed there was something we might have to concern ourselves with.
“He is telling us that he is feeling fine – that’s the confusion about it.
“That is why we want to ge t him in to see the specialist, Covid-allowing, as soon as possible and then we will be able to know more ourselves but, at the moment, that ’s where that one is.
“It is frustrating for Jeando and for us as well,” added Mellon.
“It is just not as easy to get in to see people now.
“They are dealing with backlogs and things like that but we are down to see him (the surgeon) as soon as possible and urgently because we believe Jeando is a really important player for us.”
There was some extremely positive news regarding frontman Marc Mcnulty, whom Mellon feared had a possible stress fracture on his ankle.
That does not appear to be the case and the Scotland man, who sat out the goalless draw with Aberdeen on Saturday, has returned to the training pitch.
Mellon said: “He is fine, trained today and is back in the group.”
As expected, Calum Butcher will miss tomorrow’s home clash with St Johnstone but should be OK for the subsequent trip to Hamilton.
Peter Pawlett is suspended for Saints’ visit, while Logan Chalmers is making good progress, according to the United boss.
Mellon now has a selection headache over wide man Paul Mcmullan, who has just agreed a pre-contract deal with city neighbours Dundee.
The United gaffer stressed that he wants to deal in players who want to be at his club, so Mcmullan may have to sit on the sidelines for now and hope the teams can agree a deal to get him across the road this month instead of waiting.
Mellon said :“The situation as everyone knows at Dundee United means we are not ready to proceed with a contract for Paul Mcmullan at the minute and he decided that he wanted to carry on and sign a contract with Dundee.
“I like Paul and in my head I have a way that we want us to eventually play, and I want to play with
attacking width at some stage.
“It’s just that at this minute I think there are some games when we have to compensate for who we are playing against, but I certainly saw Paul as being part of what we wanted to do moving forward.
“I also want people who want to be here and I have said that to Paul, so I am not throwing anyone under a bus here.
“The opportunity now is for me to promote from my academy when the opportunity arises and I will be able to do that because there are some talented boys there like Logan Chalmers and Kai Fotheringham, who I will look to step forward.
“I’ve also got Luke Bolton who can play there.”
Asked if Mcmullan was, before the news broke, in his thoughts for the St Johnstone game, Melllon said: “He was but, like I say, we have to make a decision for Dundee United now.”
Meanwhile, Mellon was delighted to hear that his squad – as he predicted they would – have accepted wage cuts to help the club deal with the financial pressures posed by the virus.
He said: “They were always open to doing it.
“We don’t have a problem with them – good people – and we understand we are in a difficult period with the pandemic, which has got worse.
“We all have different and individual situations at home. The club is very aware of that, too, while clearly it has its own difficulties.
“So, it was about making sure we came to a place that was satisfactory in the circumstances.
“The staff did it two months ago and now the players have done it.
“The fact we did it earlier doesn’t make us any better.
“It was just a decision the staff felt we were ready to do straightaway.”