Dundee United will without influential Spanish striker Francisco Sandaza for this weekends trip to Inverness, after being sidelined with a foot injury.
Sandaza, who turned 24 last Sunday, was only able to play against St Mirren last week after having injections in his foot, but the medical staff have advised Levein not to risk using him in the SPL clash against Caley Thistle.
A cartilage injury to his foot means that the clubs 2nd top goalscorer is likely to make way for either Roy O`Donovan or Warren Feeney upfront.
Only Jon Daly has scored more than Sandaza this season, with 4 SPL goals and a hat-trick in the League Cup giving the Irish striker 7 compared to Fran`s 6, which were all scored in SPL matches.
“Fran has been taking injections for the last couple of weeks but it’s not helping,” admitted manager Craig Levein to the Dundee Courier.
“‘He’s got a little bit of cartilage in his foot which is causing trouble, but it’s not serious. We think some rest this weekend should cure the problem so it’s better we leave him out and make sure he’s back to full fitness as soon as possible.”
“We’ve got other strikers who have been waiting for a chance so this will be an opportunity for them.”
On-loan midfielder Willo Flood is also unavailable for the match against Caley Thistle through suspension.
Dundee United goalscorers this season:
7, Jon Daly (4 SPL, 3 League Cup)
6, Francisco Sandaza (6 SPL)
4, Scott Robertson (2 SPL, 2 League Cup)
3, David Goodwillie (0 SPL, 3 League Cup)
3, Lee Wilkie (3 SPL)
2, Craig Conway (2 SPL)
1, Darren Dods (1 SPL)
1, Warren Feeney (1 SPL)
1, Roy O’Donovan (1 SPL)
