Dundee United have been rocked by the news Kristijan Trapanovski could be out for up to four weeks.
The Macedonian winger injured his hamstring and missed the weekend draw with Kilmarnock. United had hoped it would only be a minor issue but scans have confirmed that there is damage and he will be ruled out for three or four weeks. Boss Jim Goodwin confirmed: “No, he won’t be fit for the weekend. He is looking at another three or four weeks from just now. He did his hamstring in training last week. We thought it might settle down. We sent him for a scan and it has come back as a slight nick in the hamstring, so we are looking at three or four weeks out.
It is a bit of a double flow for the 25-year-old. He was set to be named in the North Macedonia squad for the Nations League games with Armenia and away to Latvia, but will now remain in Scotland for treatment. Trapanovski is still looking to win a cap after being called up for his country for the first time last month.
Goodwin confirmed: “He would have been (selected) but won’t be travelling now. He has had a really positive start to the season. He got the international recognition of being called up for the North Macedonia squad for the last games, although he never got on it was still a proud moment for him. Kristijan is disappointed to miss games for us and that international camp.
“It is a blow but he is in a good place in terms of dealing with the situation. He understands that is part and parcel of football and being a professional athlete. It is the first injury he has ever had. It is something new to deal with.”
Trapanovski’s misfortune could open the door for the likes of Glenn Middleton to push for more game time, while new signing Meshack Ubochioma is looking to make his mark. Goodwin admitted: “Kristijan is a really good attacking option and goal threat for us. At the same time, there are other opportunities there for other players. We saw that again at the weekend and how important the squad is going to be, with players coming off the bench and making an impact against Kilmarnock.”
United came back from 3-1 down to salvage a point at Kilmarnock. It gives Goodwin plenty to ponder ahead of this weekend’s visit to St Mirren. He also knows that he has the flexibility within his squad to play a 3-5-2 formation and to play with two strikers, like he did at Rugby Park, with Louis Moult and Sam Dalby.
He added: “We started the game with a 3-5-2 system against Kilmarnock. I thought Dalby and Moult were excellent in the first half and linked up really well. They followed on from their good performances against Motherwell.
“We do have flexibility within the squad and we have worked on a number of different systems. We’ve also had to change to a back four at times. People can get caught up in systems. We have a certain way we want to play in and out of possession and if we are doing things properly it shouldn’t impact things too greatly in terms of the team.
“If everyone understands what is being asked of them then it doesn’t really matter what formation we play. The players have got good results with different formations. It is important to become predictable and to keep the opposition guessing. The opposition also offers threats and you might need to react or counter that.”