St Johnstone are set for a major boost ahead of the new Premiership season after Craig Levein revealed summer signing Uche Ikpeazu is ahead of schedule in his bid to return from injury.
The former Hearts and Middlesbrough forward joined the Saints earlier this month following his departure from English League Two club and suffered an immediate blow after he sustained a damaged knee cartilage in an accident at his home. There was an expectations Ikpeazu would not be available to make his debut until October but Levein has now delivered a positive update on the striker’s rehabilitation and gave Saints supporters some hope their new man will return to action sooner than expected.
He told The Courier: “Uche, I think, will be nearer the end of August. He seemed to be quite positive about that. He’s going to go to St George’s Park (the English FA’s national football centre) in between. So he will leave home and drop into St George’s for a couple of weeks as part of his rehab. They’ve got loads of experienced people there. It would be good if Uche didn’t miss much of the league. He’s obviously going to have to do some work here before we get him out playing but we’ll see how he is.”
Should Ukpeazu make the progress that has been suggested by Levein, the forward could well make his comeback in a home game against Motherwell on the final day of August. If he is unable to return in time to face the Steelmen, a visit to Hibernian after the international break could well provide a more realistic return date.
Aberdeen goalkeeper agrees new loan switch
Aberdeen goalkeeper Tom Ritchie has enjoyed a stunning start to his latest loan move away from Pittodrie.
The 21-year-old stopper is yet to make a senior start for the Dons after progressing through their youth setup in recent years but enjoyed several loan spells with the likes of Queen of the South, Peterhead and Huntly. With first-team opportunities looking to be at a premium, Ritchie completed a season-long loan move to League Two club Bonnyrigg Rose and was immediately put into their starting lineup for their Premier Sports Cup tie with Annan Athletic.
The two shared battled their way to a 2-2 draw and that allowed Ritchie to steal the limelight in a penalty shoot-out as he made three spot-kick saves to help his new side claim a bonus point win. Those heroics earned praise for the Dons youngster as Rose manager Calum Elliot hailed his immediate impact just hours after securing the stopper’s services.
He told Rose TV: “That’s what he’s there for, he’s there to keep the ball out of the back of the net. He came in, he’s done well, he’d obviously never met the boys before, but he fitted in really well with the rest of the group.”
Ritchie will hope to continue impressing when his new side visit Inverness Caledonian Thistle in their latest Premier Sports Cup tie on Saturday afternoon.
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