Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes will not rush into the transfer market to sign another defender after Mark Reynolds was ruled out for three months.
The Dons vice-captain will have surgery tomorrow to pin his shoulder which he dislocated in the club’s 1-1 draw against KF Shkendija in the Europa League qualifier in Macedonia last week.
The operation will keep Reynolds out until October.
The loss of the former Motherwell and Sheffield Wednesday defender is a blow, but McInnes has backed his squad to cope.
He said: “Mark could get back quicker but any professional footballer is going to have to stand up to some robust challenges and that is why he needs to get the operation done.
“He might be out for a little longer than we had hoped, but we have to make sure it is right.
“Mark, certainly in my time here, has missed minutes rather than games.”
When asked if he would consider bringing in a replacement the Dons manager said: “Not just now, we will go as we are because there are nearly two months of the transfer window remaining.
“There are a lot of games and training to come before the window closes.”
Reynolds will be a spectator when the Dons host Shkendija in tonight’s second leg at Pittodrie.
The Dons have a crucial away goal after last week’s 1-1 draw in Skopje and McInnes has urged his players to make the most of their slender advantage as they try to secure a second-round tie against HNK Rijeka of Croatia.
The manager said: “It would be naive to think we are almost there. We still have work to do.
“Having watched them prior to the first leg we knew the game wouldn’t be won or lost over one leg and would take two strong performances from us, so nothing has changed on that front. We have a slight advantage being at home and hopefully we can use that along with the away goal. We want to impose ourselves on the game and we are all itching to get going and there is more for us to show, particularly in attack.”
A crowed of 15,000 is expected at Pittodrie for Aberdeen’s first home game of the new season and McInnes knows the Dons support will be expecting victory tonight.
He said: “An Aberdeen crowd expect the team to come out and win matches at Pittodrie, and while we don’t need to do that in the first minute, of course the intention is to win the tie.
“We have to impose ourselves on any game and take charge of proceedings so that is what we are looking to do.
“So whether the goal comes in the first minute or the last then we will do all we can to win on the night.”