Billy Koumetio’s return is a “real bonus” for Dundee after a three-month lay-off.
The big defender arrived at Dens Park last summer after the Dark Blues paid an undisclosed fee to bring the Frenchman up from Liverpool.
The 22-year-old suffered an ankle injury at St Mirren, however, and has been sidelined since December.
The injury came just when the youngster was settling in to life in Scottish football says manager Tony Docherty.
“Getting Billy back is a real bonus for us because before he got injured I felt he was really getting there with his adaptation to the Scottish game,” Docherty said.
“I was seeing real progress in him then unfortunately he picked up a bit of naughty injury at St Mirren.
“We’re buzzing to get him back, you look at his size and remember what he was giving you before the injury.
“He’s a brilliant addition to come back into it and adds to real competition there at the back.
“Billy gives us something a bit different to the other centre backs, he’s more of a ball-playing centre back.
“We had been working on loads of things with him, his defending and developing him in that position.
“Unfortunately that got cut short but he’s been training for two weeks now so is in contention to face Rangers.”
Home improvement
Dundee haven’t won a Premiership game at Dens Park since early December, a 4-1 win over Motherwell.
They have won two cup matches, including a derby success over Dundee United.
But Docherty is keen to see his side rediscover their home form when Rangers visit on Saturday.
“The home form has been a bit up and down but we want to get it back as close to last season as we can,” he added.
“There has been some good home performances, the derby win in the cup, the wins over Motherwell and Hibs.
“Now we have a more settled team, with more experience in the team that we’ve lacked at time, that’s helping the younger ones.
“We’ve had a core of senior players come back in at the right time.”
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