Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin says midfielder Connor Barron faces another three weeks on the sidelines.
The Dons welcome on-loan Celtic defender Liam Scales back into their squad for this weekend’s visit of St Mirren.
Scales was ineligible to face his parent club in the Reds’ 2-0 loss at Parkhead on Sunday.
But midfielder Barron remains absent due to a knee injury, which forced him to miss the entirety of the Reds’ Premier Sports Cup group campaign.
The 19-year-old made a major impact in the second half of last season, after returning from a loan spell with Kelty Hearts.
Goodwin hopes Barron will be available for selection again come the end of this month.
He added: “We hope to have him back with the group in another three weeks, probably.
“He had a slight medial ligament issue on his knee.
“It happened in the friendly against Buckie Thistle. He went into a silly tackle and twisted his knee, but it’s nothing major.”
The arrival of winger Shayden Morris from Fleetwood Town took Aberdeen’s tally of signings to 10 so far this summer in a busy transfer window.
That has prompted speculation players could be on their way out of Pittodrie.
Among those to have been linked with a departure is defender David Bates, whose proposed transfer to Legia Warsaw is believed to have broken down.
Goodwin insists he will not stand in the way of anyone looking to leave in search of more game time – but insists every player in the squad is part of his plans at present.
He added: “It’s the same on the other side. We’ve got a number of players in the group at the moment who would like to be playing regularly and we’ve had conversations with one or two of them.
“If one of the players comes to me and suggests that he’s got an opportunity to go and play regularly somewhere else then I’m not going to stand in anybody’s way.
“That’s where we’re at, at the moment.
“There’s nothing to say on David Bates or any of the other members of the squad at this moment in time. They’re still very much Aberdeen players and under contract for the foreseeable.”
Conversation