Dundee United could be boosted by the return of experienced defender Charlie Mulgrew for this weekend’s crunch Premiership clash against Hibernian.
Mulgrew, 37, has missed the Tangerines’ last two matches due to a persistent hamstring complaint.
However, the former Celtic and Scotland star has made strides towards a full recovery and boss Jim Goodwin is hopeful that he will be in contention for Sunday’s visit of the Hibees.
Mulgrew turned in fine showings in Goodwin’s first two matches at the helm — against Aberdeen and Livingston — and the Tannadice gaffer is adamant the positive influence of the player/coach cannot be overstated.
“Charlie is getting closer and could be available for the Hibs game,” revealed Goodwin. “Charlie played really well in the games prior to the injury.
“He was starting to get a bit of consistency back in his game and, when you are in the position we are in, you need all that experience available.
“It will be great to have him back among the group and training with the boys again.
“Charlie is a leader and a positive influence on those around him, so we’ll see how he is later in the week.”
Pushing
Goodwin does not have his injury travails to seek, with Peter Pawlett (hamstring), Liam Smith (ankle), Dylan Levitt (knee) and Glenn Middleton (hamstring) all high-profile absentees.
“Aside from Charlie, I think the weekend will come too soon for the others,” continued Goodwin.
“Glenn (Middleton) is making good progress behind the scenes and is really chomping at the bit. He is pushing every week and we are hopeful of having him back within the next three weeks.
“Fingers crossed, after the split, he’ll be ready to go.”
Peter Pawlett latest
Meanwhile, United will find out in the next 24 hours whether Pawlett will face another lengthy layoff.
The luckless former Aberdeen and MK Dons ace limped out of Saturday’s 2-0 defeat against Rangers after suffering a recurrence of a hamstring issue.
And Pawlett will go for a scan on Wednesday morning before the club map his path to recovery, with Goodwin praying the damage is not as severe as first feared.
“Peter has a scan and we’ll see the full extent of what his injury was on Saturday,” added Goodwin. “I wouldn’t want to speculate and make things sound worse than they might be. We need to wait and see what the results bring.
“It didn’t look great, initially, and Peter knows what it feels like to have a hamstring strain. He had it previously.
“It seems quite similar to the one he had, but the timeframe will become apparent over the course of this week.
Goodwin added: “I don’t think we’ve carried a great deal of luck since I’ve come in the door, in terms of injuries to influential players, and we certainly don’t need any more!”
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