Incoming gaffer must firstly assess the talent he has at his disposal

The return of the Dundee squad for pre-season training is drawing ever closer.

Holidays will be over for another year come next Friday and there will be a new manager at the helm in the shape of Gary Bowyer.

His appointment was confirmed yesterday after a three-and-a-half-week search for Mark McGhee’s successor.

The 50-year-old former Blackburn and Salford manager will have plenty to do to get the Dark Blues into shape for an assault on the Championship.

But what is on the to-do list from day one?

Assess squad

The obvious job for any new manager coming in – see what you’ve got to work with.

With 20 senior players signed, the majority of the squad is already in place. How many the new manager will be happy with remains to be seen.

Or there may be other clubs eyeing up some of the squad, ready to make a move.

There is plenty of time for transfers in and out but the first concern for the next Dundee manager is assessing the talent he has at his disposal.

For the Championship, the Dark Blues are in decent shape.

Assuming injured players return to their best, the goalkeepers are good and the back line is strong.

Central midfield has plenty of different options while there are wingers capable of terrorising Championship defences in Paul McMullan, Luke McCowan and Niall McGinn.

The biggest loss from last season is in terms of character and experience.

Charlie Adam obviously brought star quality to the midfield but his influence on the dressing-room will be missed.

Liam Fontaine, too, has left and with him has gone a wise old head stuffed full of experience. The early days will see the new manager figure out where he needs reinforcements.

Squad harmony

Dundee have a fairly large squad of contracted players ready to go for the new term.

Big sweeping changes to the playing personnel are unlikely, with the vast majority of the group having won promotion from the Championship just over a year ago.

But there were big problems with morale among the players last season and that’s something that must be addressed.

There are simple measures that can be implemented by a new manager.

A common complaint from players last season was the lack of lunch provided after training.

It may seem unimportant to some but it’s an extra inconvenience for players and a big part of the club’s role is to minimise off-field concerns as much as possible.

Get that back in place early on and already a new manager is off to a good start.

It is clear the squad was affected by the sacking of previous manager James McPake as results took a nosedive after McGhee’s arrival.

Back in the second tier, a club like Dundee can’t afford to ignore an unhappy dressing-room.

If they do, the Championship will be an almighty slog.

Add goals

The most glaring need of Dundee’s transfer business this summer is to bring in a striker.

Last season’s top scorer Danny Mullen left at the end of his contract while Cillian Sheridan is still on his way back from a serious Achilles tendon injury.

Alex Jakubiak will return from loan but hasn’t set the heather alight in a Dundee shirt.

In fact, Sheridan and Jakubiak have only one Dundee goal between them.

Zak Rudden has proven ability in the Championship but will need help.

In the Premiership, Dundee scored just 34 goals in 38 games – they’ll need far more than that to achieve promotion this term.

Bringing in a new goal threat is a must this summer.