Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin says Leighton Clarkson will not need surgery to repair his shoulder fracture and has backed other players to provide “solutions” during the midfielder’s eight-week absence.
After being forced off in the second half of the 6-0 home Premier Sports Cup win over Dumbarton, Clarkson, 22, has joined fellow midfielder Dante Polvara – who recently had surgery to repair a torn hamstring – on the early-season casualty list.
Both players will miss at least the first couple of months of the new Premiership campaign, which begins for the Dons away at St Johnstone on Monday night (8pm).
After Clarkson’s injury was revealed, Thelin said: “He’s just doing the rehabilitation, not surgery.
“The staff are doing really well with him, so hopefully it’s going to go quick, but we have to respect what they’ve said and do it step by step with no setbacks.”
Thelin used Clarkson at no.10 in the flawless League Cup group run, with the Englishman scoring a free-kick at East Kilbride and then a Pittodrie comeback winner over Airdrieonians.
“He started really well. I feel sorry for him as he is a good guy and is important for us,” Thelin added. “But that’s football sometimes and we need to find solutions to play well and win games.
“It will give other players opportunities to show themselves on the pitch and give something to the team.
“Leighton and Dante are good guys and players, so it’s not nice.”
Is Pape Habib Gueye the Aberdeen ‘solution’ at No.10?
Pape Habib Gueye, who only made one start last season following a £500,000 move, looks to have been revitalised by a productive loan spell in Norway with Kristiansund.
He returned to the squad for the first time against Dumbarton, and impressed when he replaced Clarkson in the central attacking midfield role on 55 minutes.
With Jamie McGrath used wide left so far by Thelin, and options including Gueye available to come into the starting line-up, Thelin is confident Aberdeen “have solutions” to fill the Clarkson creativity void ahead of the St Johnstone Premiership curtain-raiser.
As well as Gueye, Thelin thinks others like Vicente Besuijen, who also returned from a loan spell last season, at Dutch side FC Emmen, have been staking their claim for game-time.
Besuijen made an assist off the bench against Dumbarton, and Thelin added: “They are here and training well. They have been working hard and listening in the sessions and want to learn.
“They are doing everything they can for the team.”
Jayden Richardson: ‘So far we have chosen other options’
Right-back Jayden Richardson, who had two loans away from Aberdeen last season, has yet to make a Thelin matchday squad, however.
The manager was cryptic on the 23-year-old’s future, saying he would talk individually with players and do what is best for Aberdeen and them, adding: “So far we have chosen other options in the squad.”
Thelin refuses to confirm rejected Bojan Miovski bid – but gives ‘maybe’ response to star striker’s St Johnstone start chances
In midweek it was reported Aberdeen rejected an initial bid from Spanish La Liga outfit Espanyol for star striker Bojan Miovski due to the offer being below the Dons’ £6.5 million valuation.
A subsequent report claimed the bid made for the North Macedonian, who scored 26 times in all competitions last season, was £3m.
Boss Thelin refused to confirm if the reports of an offer for the Reds’ reigning player of the year were accurate, saying: “I can’t tell you anything about that. I can’t comment on every rumour or whatever.
“He’s still here. He’s training well. And that’s my focus.”
Miovski is widely expected to complete a big money transfer away from Pittodrie before the transfer window closes, and Thelin only used the forward for 45 minutes during the League Cup group campaign – when he helped Aberdeen turn things round in the second half against Airdrieonians – instead using Ester Sokler.
Slovenian Sokler has four goals already this term, including a double last time out against Dumbarton.
Is Miovski likely to come back into side for the first Premiership encounter of the new season? “Maybe”, was Thelin’s response.
Thelin said: “He is still an Aberdeen player. He is giving everything he can in training so I’m sure he will be in the squad and maybe will even start.”
St Johnstone game will give Aberdeen ‘answers’ on signing needs
Going into the Premiership opener at McDiarmid Park, Swede Thelin has only made a modest four signings in a less frantic rebuild than many would have expected.
Thelin thinks Monday’s clash with St Johnstone will provide “answers” on what qualities Aberdeen already have in their squad – and what they may need to venture back out into the transfer market to find.
He said: “Sometimes we can look for short-term solutions, but the most ideal thing for everyone is to find the long-term solutions for Aberdeen.
“If we feel something is missing, we will look at that through recruitment – hopefully when we bring players in they are going to stay here for a while and be important players for the squad.
“We have to believe in the players who are here so that they feel it.
“On Monday, we will get some answers.”
Aberdeen aiming for Europe in Premiership
Thelin, who is trying to secure an improvement on last term’s disappointing seventh-place league finish in his first campaign in charge, says the start of the new Premiership campaign is “exciting and everybody is feeling it”.
He expects opening opponents Saints to provide “a good fight and a good game” and thinks his Dons will need to be “stronger in some parts” after some “close” first halves in their Premier Sports Cup group wins.
Aberdeen’s broad aims for the 2024/25 Premiership are something Thelin is happy to lay on the table, if loosely – although he will be trying to win matches at the same time as implementing his “identity” on to the Dons team.
Their league mission can be summed up in one word. Europe.
Thelin said: “I’m not going to go into positions, but of course we need to be in the upper half to try to achieve Europe.
“But we also have to be understanding where we’re coming from and try to build it in the right way and then accelerate the process.
“We need to start with a strong foundation to stand on and then adding quality to that.
“Of course, I know the expectations at Aberdeen – everybody knows that.
“We have to use it as a positive energy that people and fans believe in us, and take it like a good thing, not as a heavy weight.”
Centre-back Angus MacDonald is suspended for the trip to St Johnstone, though he has returned to training following a small operation.
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