Dundee head coach Steven Pressley has backed returning midfielder Zan Besir to make a big impact at the club. The Slovenian will come back into the squad for the trip to Rangers after serving a suspension.
The 25-year-old has been forced to sit out the last couple of games, but Pressley has seen major improvements behind the scenes.
Pressley: Besir has handled change really well
Pressley said: “Zan also comes back this weekend from his suspension. That is more positive news and gives us more quality. We have real high hopes for Zan.”
“One of the things we have to remember is there is a lot of adaptation, moving from one league to another. It is also a different style of football and way. His family has also uprooted and come over. There has been a lot of change in his life, but he has handled it really well.”
“He is a really popular player whom we are very excited about. Sometimes when players come in people expect them to make an immediate impact. Often that is not the case. Slowly but surely they begin to adapt and that is what I expect with Zan.”
Harrison getting fitter by the session
New signing Alfie Harrison is also getting sharper every day. The former Newcastle United player signed last week, and Pressley knows his new addition is trying to get up to top gear.
“He is a little bit behind and it will take a bit of time to get up to speed,” he added. “We have organised a game for next week. We are hoping that those returning from injury and those who need game time will be involved. That should be helpful.”
“Alfie is getting fitter by the session, but is still getting up to speed. He is different. He is a player who is good in the pockets and he makes really smart penetrating passes. He is also a very good finisher, so once he is up to speed he will be a good addition.”
Finnigan back in training, Wales awaits specialist
Dundee midfielder Ryan Finnigan is back in training and Drey Wright is also expected to shrug off a minor issue, while Charlie Reilly is also not too far away. The head coach confirmed: “He (Finnigan) has trained this week. It has been slightly modified but he took part in a lot of the contract training, which is a positive. Charlie Reilly, we hope could participate in full training by the end of the week. That is our hope. Drey has had an adverse reaction but he will hopefully be okay for the weekend. It is a little bit of a knee injury, but it should settle down.”
Dundee is also waiting to find out the extent of Bobby Wales’s injury. He has been sent for a second opinion, with his flight to see a specialist in Swansea cancelled. Pressley admitted: “Bobby Wales was meant to fly down to Swansea to see the specialist but his plane got cancelled and so he had to push his appointment back. We are just awaiting news on that. Joe could be four to six weeks, but knowing him it will be sooner. The Westley one is really disappointing.”
Meanwhile Dundee are looking to get more first-team players tied up on new deals.
