Kristers Tobers is closing in on a return to action for Aberdeen after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, with teammate Mats Knoester praising the Latvian as the hardest-working player at the club.
Tobers, who captained Aberdeen to Scottish Cup glory in 2025, has been battling a couple of knee injuries that have disrupted his last two seasons. He is back in training, although manager Stephen Robinson has declined to set a timescale for his return to avoid piling pressure on the centre-half.
Knoester praises Tobers' professionalism
Knoester, a fellow defender, spoke warmly of his friend's recovery. "Yes, we're good friends. It's (been) a very hard time for him. It's a bit better now, of course, because he's close to coming back - I don't know when exactly, but he's out training," the Dutchman said.
"It's good to have him around again and have him next to me in training again, just for him to be back on the training pitch and not having setback after setback. I can easily say he's the hardest-working player here in the club."
Knoester added: "He's a real professional and has a great mentality, but sometimes you can't control everything. He had a bit of bad luck, I would say, in some things. I'm happy for him that he's on the right track now."
Tobers' injury ordeal
Tobers has not made a competitive appearance for the Dons since September 2025. Knoester, who has had his own injury problems over the past couple of seasons, acknowledged the difficulty of the Latvian's situation.
"Yes, the good thing for me was that I didn't have major setbacks. I had to slow down a little bit for two weeks, but other than that, it went quite good. But I've been injured before, when I was 19 - it was also a year, so I know how it feels like and how frustrating it can be. Yeah, I just hope he can come back soon," he said.
Knoester expressed confidence in Tobers' mental resilience: "I'm 100 per cent sure it was difficult for him. Yeah, we definitely try and help him as best we can, but there's only so much you can do. It's difficult, so... Yeah, it's positive that he's back on the training ground now."
Dons build on St Mirren win
Aberdeen returned to winning ways with a home victory over St Mirren last weekend, easing some of the pressure after a poor run at Pittodrie. Stephen Robinson's side now travel to Tannadice to face Dundee United on Saturday.
Knoester also welcomed new goalkeeper Marius Muller, who replaced Dimitar Mitov at the start of the season. The former Wolfsburg keeper has made an impression on and off the pitch.
"He's not that mad as it looks like," Knoester insisted. "He's... Of course, he's a German, so... No - he's a good guy. Of course, he has his things, especially in the game.
"If he's here, he's quite normal, but in games he does some crazy stuff. He's a good guy to not only have on the pitch, but also here (at Cormack Park). Yeah, if he needs to (he can get loud), definitely. He's not scared to speak up."
Knoester shrugged off Muller's theatrical antics, such as throwing his gloves down. "Throwing gloves down is not even that bad. If you see some things that happen in a dressing room, it's ten times worse. That's an example of how players... How players experience it as well. It's not... Fans do that, but we are disappointed and frustrated as well."
