Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes insists he can rely on youngsters Lewis Ferguson and Dean Campbell if he has to pitch the duo into three crucial away matches.
The Dons boss is waiting to discover how long he will be without experienced midfielders Craig Bryson and Funso Ojo after they suffered ankle and hamstring injuries in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with St Johnstone.
The duo are expected to miss Saturday’s trip to Livingston, the first of three away games for Aberdeen in the next week, but if Bryson and Ojo do face a lengthy absence McInnes has backed Ferguson and Campbell to step up for the cause.
He said: “If Bryson and Ojo are not going to be there then we will have to deal with it as best as we can but it does seem a bit unfair that we’ve been hit so hard in one area in the space of a few days.
“We’ve got Lewis and Dean who can go in there and if it comes to that I’ve no concerns. They played together in the Europa League against Rovaniemi and they have composure and calmness.
“We had planned on using Scott Wright in an attacking midfield role this season so to lose him and then have Bryson and Ojo injured in the same game in the same week has been hard on us.”
It has been a difficult week for the Dons with Bryson and Ojo’s injuries compounding the news of Wright’s cruciate ligament injury in training.
The trio will join central defenders Scott McKenna and Ash Taylor on the sidelines for the trip to Livingston, much to the manager’s chagrin.
He said: “It does feel as if the last week has produced an exceptional set of circumstances.
“We’ve got three tough away games but they are three games we are really looking forward to.
“Ideally we would like to go into them with the experience of Ojo and Bryson.
“They were brought in to be big players for us and games like the ones we have coming up are where their influence is needed.”
Meanwhile, defender Tommie Hoban is set to join the Dons for training as he steps up his recovery from a serious knee injury.
The former Watford defender, whose loan spell at Pittodrie was cut short due to shoulder and knee injuries, is a free agent after being released by the English Premier League club.
McInnes offered Hoban training facilities at the end of the season and the 25-year-old has accepted the invitation.
The Dons boss added: “Tommie got a sore injury in an Aberdeen strip and there is a duty of care, we feel.”