Key Dundee United man in 'race' to be fit for weekend clash with Hibs

Dundee United are sweating over the fitness of experienced forward Louis Moult as they prepare for this weekend’s Premiership showdown with Hibs.

The 32-year-old ace suffered a knee injury in the closing stages of his side’s 3-3 draw against Kilmarnock last month and was absent for his team’s subsequent victory over St Mirren, with Sam Dalby and Jort van der Sande instead leading the line.

The ex-Motherwell man fired his side to promotion with an impressive 18 goals in 33 appearances and has started this season with three in 12 across all competitions. He has been a regular fixture in Jim Goodwin’s side but is still yet to return to full training for Hibs visit to Tannadice. 

Courier Sport reports that a final decision on Moult’s availability will be made later this week as he prepares to a late fitness test. Goodwin told the outlet: “Louis is not training with the group yet. 

“We’ll just need to assess that later in the week. He was in some good form prior to taking the knock against Kilmarnock, scoring in the two games back-to-back. 

“But in my time here we’ve often had to go into games without key players, and the other players who come in tend to step up and contribute. That’s what the squad is there for.”

Goodwin has also hinted that Macedonian favourite Kristijan Trapovski could make a shock return to the first time squad just weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury.

However, the 42-year-old suggested that the upcoming encounter with Aberdeen is a more realistic possibility.

“You’ve got to be quite cautious with those muscle injuries and make sure that we follow protocol. Kristijan is desperate to get back, but the medical team are the ones that will guide us in terms of the recovery process and the timeframe on that.

“He’s had a great start to the season and is making good progress. We’ll see how he shapes up for the weekend.”

Dundee United have made a bright start to life back in the top-flight with 12 points from their opening seven matches, leaving them fifth in the table.

This is a huge contrast to Hibs, who under David Gray have managed just five points and one victory from their opening seven games, leaving them 10th in the Premiership table.

Hibs could climb as high as seventh in the table, however, if the are to secure three points against the newly promoted side.