Sidelines spell fuels Levitt’s will to win

Dundee United star Dylan Levitt feared his season was over after succumbing to a knee injury in Jim Goodwin’s first match at the helm.

But that galling spell on the sidelines has only made the Wales international more determined to fuel a Tangerine great escape.

Levitt, 22, entered the fray as a second-half substitute on Saturday and, despite a damaging defeat to Livingston, it was a cathartic moment following a period of uncertainty and frustration.

He will be in contention for tomorrow’s do-or-die contest with Kilmarnock at Tannadice, with the looming threat of relegation hanging heavy in the air. If United lose and Ross County beat St Johnstone in Dingwall, the Terrors are down.

However, the hosts would leapfrog Killie with a win.

“When I first suffered the injury, there were some mixed messages – and some suggested the campaign might have been done for me,” Levitt told Courier Sport.

“So, after having doubts about playing again this season, to get on the pitch at Livi was massive.

“I was in a brace for about six weeks then had injections. Those went well and just a couple of days after the injections wore off, I was back on the grass.

“I had never received injections before so you never really know what the outcome will be, but they paid off massively.

“The period out was really tough. I wasn’t on the pitch; I was in the gym every day.

“As I walked over to the gym, you see the lads training and you get a sense of what you are missing.

“You are in the stands at Tannadice watching the games – you just want to be involved; to help. It’s hard.

“But it was for the best. If I had rushed back, you never know what could have happened.”

Having emerged unscathed from his outing on Livi’s plastic pitch, Levitt added: “An artificial surface is probably the biggest test you can get after coming back from an injury.

“I’ve had that taste and hopefully it continues on Wednesday.”