Dundee United Squad Stretched by Absences, Says Manager Goodwin

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has indicated that his squad is facing challenges due to a lack of depth as they approach a Scottish Premiership double-header this week, with several “influential” players still unavailable. Goodwin also commended the performance of on-loan Liverpool defender Luca Stephenson. Currently holding fourth place in the league, United are scheduled to host fifth-place Motherwell, a fixture that presents an opportunity to establish a five-point advantage over Stuart Kettlewell’s side. Craig Sibbald, Ross Graham, and Louis Moult remain sidelined, although there is a possibility that Graham and Moult could return for the weekend’s match. Ryan Strain, after three months out with an injury, made his comeback as a substitute in Saturday’s defeat at Aberdeen. Goodwin addressed the immediate situation, stating, “This Wednesday we’ll have to go with the squad that we had available to us against Aberdeen.” He further commented on the team’s depth, saying, “Look, you want to have competition right throughout the squad and unfortunately in recent weeks we haven’t really had that.” Goodwin highlighted specific areas of concern: “Particularly in the middle of the pitch, there’s a big demand on the likes of [Vicko] Sevelj, [David] Babunski, obviously pleased to get [Richard] Odada some minutes on Saturday as well but we are missing some really influential players.” He elaborated on key absences: “Obviously, our captain Ross Doherty, Craig Sibbald who’s been a mainstay in the team since I’ve come to the club and we’re light of options at the top end of the pitch as well with Louis Moult being out.” A positive aspect this season has been the contribution of Luca Stephenson, the on-loan Liverpool player, whose adaptability has proven beneficial. Goodwin praised Stephenson’s impact, adding, “He has been excellent since he came in, that right-wing back role, he’s made that his own.” He also noted Stephenson’s versatility: “The great thing about Lucas is he can play a number of different positions. “Obviously, we moved him into the middle of the park on Saturday just to try and give us a bit more legs in there”.”