Tam Courts has revealed that Marc McNulty did not take part in Dundee United training on Tuesday.
However, the Tannadice gaffer expects the Scotland international to be fit for Saturday’s Dundee derby following the ‘precautionary’ measure.
Both McNulty and strike-partner Tony Watt ran themselves into the ground during United’s crucial 1-1 draw against Hibernian at the weekend.
McNulty was withdrawn with 11 minutes left on the clock after falling to the turf clutching his leg.
An exhausted Watt was later replaced by 16-year-old Rory MacLeod.
And Courts has offered an insight into his squad management ahead of a crucial portion of the campaign.
“Sparky [Marc McNulty] is looking okay,” explained Courts. “He didn’t train on Tuesday but that is mostly through precaution.
“We don’t carry the biggest of squads and we’ve had some fairly consistent injury concerns this year.
“This is a time of the season when we can’t take unnecessary risks.
“Tony [Watt] and Sparky came off at Easter Road, but Sparky was the only one who didn’t train. We’ll look after him and hopefully he plays a part in the middle or latter part of the week, with a view to the derby.”
Courier Sport has also learned that the injury which prompted on-loan Tim Akinola to return to parent club Arsenal is a season-ending one.
That necessitated the luckless midfielder remaining with the Gunners for the rest of the season, rather than United choosing not to bring him back north.
‘Bragging rights’
The Tangerines’ hard-fought point against Hibs means that avoiding defeat against their fiercest foes will secure top six football in the Premiership for the first time since 2015.
However, United fans have altogether loftier hopes for Saturday’s showdown.
A victory at Tannadice would see the hosts bolster their European aspirations and, in the process, deal a major blow to Dundee’s survival hopes.
The latter is far from a priority for Courts.
AMERICAN IAN HARKES CALLED GAME IN THE DUNDEE DERBY 🔥🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/beQLnfukhA
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 19, 2021
“I think there’s always pressure from your own fans because they want the bragging rights in the city,” he continued. “It was great to be able deliver those at Tannadice at the beginning of the season [1-0 win].
“Regardless of league positions, we want to achieve that again.
“There will be a lot of motivations on the day, but ours is purely professional. It is strictly business.
“We want three points, to finish our pre-split campaign on a high and stay in fourth position — I’m sure the fans will enjoy their day if we achieve that goal.”
