The Irishman will start his season in the stands, but not through disciplinary misdemeanours or lack of form: his absence, yet again, is down to plain back luck. Daly is used to the treatment table by now and will once again be forced to watch on as his Dundee United team-mates take to the field after tearing his anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments in April.
“I’ve picked up my rehab now and picked up my running and started doing some twisting and turning and some ball work” he said. “I’m going back to see the specialist at the end of the month and hopefully he’ll give me the all clear to push on and maybe get back into training in the middle of September.
“When it first happened in April, they were saying it would be a year but I always knew I would come back quicker – but I didn’t expect to come back as quick as I have. I’m a positive person and I knew I could get back a lot quicker than I was expected to”.
United play Hearts on Monday evening in ESPN’s first live game, and the Edinburgh team have injury worries of their own: striker Calum Elliot has been told he needs major reconstructive surgery after being diagnosed with a congenital heel problem. But the club are determined to defer any operation for as long as possible and plan to ease the 22-year-old back into training.
“This would be a last resort, because major surgery would be required, keeping Calum out for a long time, and requiring extensive rehabilitation,” said Csaba Laszlo. “As a result, the medical experts have suggested we hold off on this option for now and begin a very carefully managed process of getting Calum back into training.
“This means we look very carefully at everything including padding, use of ice, the boot he wears and so on. If it is possible to manage this situation this way then Calum should be able to make good progress.”
Laszlo also confirmed that Ilco Naumoski, the Macedonia striker, has snubbed a move to Hearts in favour of a switch to Spain.
dundee united v hearts
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