Dante Polvara turns Aberdeen COACH during injury layoff and Pape Habib Gueye could do the same

Jimmy Thelin hopes Dante Polvara will be back to bolster his 100 per cent Aberdeen side next month.

And the Dons boss revealed the midfielder has turned coach as he bids to recover from a torn harmstring he suffered in pre-season. Thelin has confirmed that Polvara is on course to return after November’s international break and said: “He will be back in early November. Let us see. It is difficult to say exactly. He is progressing. That is what I have heard from Kevin Bain that step-by-step, everything is going smoothly and fine. Right now he is in a rhythm. Right now it should be around November. Hopefully, after the next international break.”

The 24-year-old had still to play a competitive game under Thelin because he suffered the injury before the Premier Sports Cup opener against Queen of the South. Thelin has kept the midfielder involved in the squad and he has become Aberdeen’s secret weapon. Polvara has been out helping Peter Leven in doing the team’s set plays and free kicks.

Thelin confirmed: “He is training the same times as us and then he has extra in the afternoons. That is what you need to do to repair everything. Then we sit with the staff to go through the set plays. He changes into the same clothes as the staff. Then he is on the pitch and is a good coach already. It is good to have him there. It is also good for the players to feel involved in the team. He is doing fine.”

The Aberdeen manager is likely to do something similar with Pape Habib Gueye. The top scorer has suffered a muscle injury in training and is expected to be out for 12 to 14 weeks.