Dundee boss Paul Hartley admits it would be a massive boost for the club if skipper Kevin Thomson can battle his way back to full fitness over the international break and come into contention for the next league game at Motherwell.
The Dark Blues manager rates the former Scotland, Rangers and Hibs player highly and had no hesitation in naming him captain when he signed Thomson in the summer.
However, the influential midfielder injured his calf after just eight minutes of the league game in Inverness on August 13.
His recovery seemed to be on track but he suffered a setback which has been frustrating for Thomson and Hartley.
Now though, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel and the manager can’t wait to have his captain available again.
Hartley admitted: “Thommo has been a massive loss for us. He is our skipper both on and off the park and leads by example.
“It’s been frustrating for myself who brought him to the club in the summer but mostly frustrating for Kevin. We know how good a player he can be.
“So hopefully now he’s not too far away from playing again. We can’t help injuries. It’s been unfortunate but hopefully Kevin will be back for the Motherwell game after the international break.
“He’s definitely got a big part to play.
“We’re not even through the first quarter yet but if we can get him back soon then it would help us bounce into the next quarter of the season when it comes round which would be fantastic for us.”
Another former Scotland player at Dens, David Clarkson, has impressed his manager in the last two games against Ross County and Aberdeen.
The striker, who signed for Dundee last month, netted in both games and Hartley believes the best is yet to come from a player he knows well.
The manager said: “Clarky is really experienced as he showed against Aberdeen. He knows the game, which is why we brought him here.
“He can sniff out a goal but I thought his overall play was excellent on Saturday. I played with David when he was at Bristol City but he was mainly played wide on the left.
“Here we want to use him as a main striker and you can see him getting stronger and fitter.
“Hopefully there are more goals to come from him he’s got two goals in two games so it’s onwards and upwards.”
The international break has come at exactly the right time for Dundee who are looking to recharge their batteries and regroup after a run of four defeats in a row.
The manager admitted that he was prepared for a dip in results but he is confident his side will soon get back to winning ways.
Hartley said: “We’ve had a sticky spell recently but I’ve no doubt we’ll come through it for the better. It’s a new group of players which we’ve assembled since the summer.
“We’re building a team for years to come. We knew a tough period would come and that’s what we’re going through.
“But I see good signs and I’m sure we’ll come through it.”
Dundee started the season with a solid defensive record but have been leaking goals in recent weeks nine in their last three league games.
And Hartley insists: “We need to defend better as a team. There’s no blame culture attached to the defenders. We’re all in this together.
“It’s something we’ve been excellent at (defending) up until recently. You have to remember James McPake has been playing with a really bad dead leg for the last two weeks.
“He probably shouldn’t be playing but that’s the type of character he is. James will run through a brick wall for you which sums him up.”
Meanwhile, Dundee striker Craig Wighton has received a call-up to the Scotland Under-18 squad.
The International Under-18 Challenge Matches against the Czech Republic take place on October 21 and 23.