Dundee United’s Injury Update

Football clubs always expect to have a couple of 1st team players out through injury, either a long-term problem or a short-term knock or niggle.

In that respect, Dundee United have been quite lucky with injuries so far this season, with only a few players out at any one time.

Top goalscorer Noel Hunt being out for 3 or 4 weeks with an ankle injury has been the biggest loss for Craig Levein, but at one stage this week it was looking good for the striker’s comeback against St Mirren on Sunday.

He injured his ankle after landing awkwardly when scoring Dundee United’s winner in the 3-2 match at Fir Park last month.

Only yesterday, Levein was optimistic about Hunt’s chances of playing the Sunday’s cup match, he said “He has not done any work with the ball yet, but that does not concern me as much as him being able to twist and turn, and that’s been coming on. Jeff (Clarke), our physio, is very happy with his progress and that makes me optimistic about his chances.”

However, Noel Hunt appears to be out for at least another week, after the player had a “setback” on Wednesday afternoon, when he possibly damaged his ankle during a light training session.

“Huntie was getting on great and looking good for the weekend but suffered a wee setback on Wednesday,” Levein told the Courier.

“Whether that’ll knock him out for Sunday I don’t know at this stage.”

Meanwhile, defender Steven Robb is doing slightly better in his fight back from a hamstring injury, after they realized his problem wasn’t in his hamstring – but in his back.

“Steven has a problem in his back and that’s been leading to his hamstring trouble. Now we know what we are dealing with, we can hopefully treat it effectively. Like Hunt, he has been doing a bit of running and he should be close by Sunday,” Levein told the Evening Telegraph.

Although, defender Christian Kalvenes is definitely out of the Saint Mirren match with the same knee injury that made him miss the 5-1 Falkirk defeat.