By Neil Robertson

DUNDEE UNITED’S pre-season preparations have been dealt a major blow after manager Craig Levein revealed yesterday that Damian Casalinuovo has dislocated his shoulder and faces the possibility of several weeks on the sidelines.

The 22-year-old Argentinian striker recently secured a contract after impressing in a couple of trial matches.

He was also one of the stars of the tour to Ireland and it was during last Thursday’s game against Kildare County where he picked up the injury.

It is a devastating setback for United, whose striking options were already limited due to long-term injuries to Francisco Sandaza, Jon Daly and Kevin Smith.

Levein, whose side travel north to face Inverness Caley Thistle tonight, said, “Damian’s shoulder was dislocated in the last game of our tour to Ireland when one of their guys just happened to land on top of him.

“His shoulder popped out and he’s torn ligaments and tendons.”

He continued, “It’s extremely disappointing as he was showing up really well, but that’s just the nature of the game.

“He’ll undergo intensive rehab instead of an operation but the docs can’t say exactly how long he’ll be out for.”

There was, however, better news on the injury front regarding centre-half Lee Wilkie, who had been told to get on his bike and cycle the streets around St Andrews during the last few weeks as he recovered from the latest operation to tidy up his knee.

“Lee is back running, but we’re not going to rush him as I now have defensive cover with Andy Webster, Darren Dods and Garry Kenneth,” said Levein.

“There’s no need to put pressure on Lee, especially with his history of injury problems.”

Meanwhile, the United boss revealed he is still on the hunt for another goalkeeper.

Despite his best efforts to bring Slovakian stopper Dusan Pernis from MSK Zilina before his agreed January arrival, it is now virtually certain the player will not be joining until the new year.

His club have dug their heels in and are demanding a transfer fee to release Pernis earlier than planned.

“I’ve made a few phone calls about goalkeeper availability and I’m just waiting to hear back,” said Levein.

“I need a goalie for six months on loan as cover before Pernis arrives.”

Levein believes that tonight’s match in Inverness against Terry Butcher’s first division side will be a stern examination for his team as they build up for the SPL kick-off.

“Inverness will be a real test as obviously, with their league season kicking off before the SPL, they’ll be ahead of us in terms of being up to speed,” he added.

“At the moment, we really haven’t done anything with regards to the shape of the team, and I’ll leave that until later in the week, but we still want to get a result against Inverness and build on our own sharpness.”