Dundee defender Darren O’Dea admits being named Dark Blues skipper would be one of the best moments of his career.
The former Celtic and Republic of Ireland centre back spoke to Courier Sport at his club’s majestic Austrian retreat and revealed he would be honoured to take on the armband whilst club captain James McPake fights back to fitness.
The latest prognosis for McPake is that his recovery from knee surgery has been delayed until the new year.
O’Dea, 29, has quickly grown to love life in the City of Discovery and feels being named temporary skipper would be the icing on the cake.
Far travelled, O’Dea and his family are enjoying being settled and happy after several years globetrotting from Ukraine to India via America.
A decision on the appointment of a temporary captain is yet to be made, but O’Dea feels he is more than ready to step up to the role until McPake is fit enough to return.
He said: “It’s something I’m aware of and maybe that will be the case – obviously it’s down to the manager
“James is the captain of the club and no one more than myself will be hoping he can get fit as quickly as possible.
“But if it’s me that steps in I feel more than ready.
“I’ve got enough experience and have a good relationship with everyone.
“It would be a fantastic honour.
“This club is really well supported; I only saw the extent of that last year.
“To captain a club like this would be fantastic and if that’s what I’m asked to do then it would be a fantastic honour for me and my family – they’d all be really proud.
“I’ll be the same kind of person either way and if it is me, I’ll just be keeping it warm for James.”
McPake hasn’t worn a Dundee shirt in action since the January derby that left him with a sickening knee injury.
But the former Livingston man has continued to make his presence felt at Dens, according to O’Dea.
He added: “There’s plenty of stuff James does off the pitch – he’s a fantastic person around the place, he’s a real leader.
“The sooner we have him back on the pitch the better.”
The former Celtic defender is frank enough to admit he intended to set off on his travels again this summer.
An instant affection for Dundee and the Dens Park club however quickly meant the Irishman was storing his passport away.
O’Dea explained: “To be brutally honest, I came back to play until this summer and then I was going to go abroad again.
“But I enjoyed my time that much when Dundee did start to speak to me it was relatively simple.
“My wife will tell you, I haven’t been as happy for a number of years.
“I’ve seen a lot of the world and it’s something I really enjoyed -learning new languages, seeing different cultures.
“It improved me as a player, but now it’s about being happy. I’ve found a home here.”
