Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin confirmed Kristers Tobers will end his injury hell this season and play his part in the fight for third and Scottish Cup final.
A £6o0,000 January transfer window signing, Tobers has been sidelined by a hamstring problem for two months.
Latvia captain Tobers last featured in a 2-2 draw with Dundee United on March 2, when he was forced off injured in the first half.
Thelin confirmed the 24-year-old is back in full training and will return to action to boost the Dons’ bid to finish third in the Premiership.
Aberdeen have three games remaining in the Premiership this season, beginning with a trip to Rangers on Sunday.
Thelin’s side then face Celtic at home on Wednesday before a trip to Dundee United next Saturday.
Tobers ‘hungry’ to return to action
Tobers will feature in that Premiership run in and will be fit to face Celtic in the Scottish Cup final against Celtic at Hampden on May 24.
Thelin said: “Kristers is training well.
“Sometimes you need that recovery period to get into the team again and Kristers is there and really hungry.
“He is much better this week than last week, but it is the timing.
“The games are coming quick and I think he will be available for one of the games as we need to share the load between the players.
“It’s three games from Sunday to Saturday, so we need to be clever and keep the energy high.”
Tobers’ frustration at injury
Tobers was secured in the January window from Swiss top-flight club Grasshoppers.
The centre-back was a regular first-team starter and played a key role in the Dons’ revival after a crash in Premiership form during the winter.
Thelin said: “It has been frustrating for him.
“We knew we had to play him when he arrived, and between seasons, it’s always a little bit of a calculated risk.
“But at that moment we really needed to bring in someone who could help us to get out of that challenging period.
“We did a lot of important things at that moment to help us to get out on the other side.
“Having the cup final to aim for helps – everyone wants to be fit for that!”
Late fitness call on Alexander Jensen
Thelin will make a late fitness call on right-back Alexander Jensen ahead of the trip to Rangers.
Jensen was ruled out of the 1-0 loss at St Mirren at the weekend due to a quad muscle injury.
However, the full-back came through a full-training session on Friday.
Midfielder Sivert Heltne Nilsen, striker Ester Sokler and winger Vicente Besuijen are all ruled out for the rest of the season.
‘We’re still aiming for Europe’
Aberdeen lost valuable ground in the race to finish third by losing at St Mirren.
The Dons now trail third-placed Hibs by three points, with the Easter Road club also holding a superior goal advantage.
Thelin said: “Still our aim is to qualify for Europe and nothing has changed in our mentality – in what we want to achieve and how we get there.
“We try to be the best we can be and deliver performances and results.
“This team is ready for the game against Rangers.
“It is a good game to play now and it is good that we have this tight schedule of fixtures.
“We have that focus on game by game now.”
Aberdeen were leading 2-0 against 10-man Rangers at Pittodrie last month but were left shellshocked when the visitors fought back to draw 2-2.
Thelin looks to future, not the past
Rangers netted a last-gasp equaliser through Ianis Hagi in the 96th minute.
Thelin insists that late capitulation will have no relevance ahead of the trip to Govan.
He said: “You can’t look back and think maybe things should have been different.
“You can’t do that when you’re in the middle of the season.
“And at the end of the season, you have to always put all the energy you have on what is in front of you.
“You cannot look back with regrets.
“Instead, you can always learn, and you can improve.
“Rather than look back you have to focus on what you have in front of you right now.
“Rangers are ahead of us on the table and in the future we want to be better and better every season.
“The best way to do that is to play against good teams and try to be better all the time.”
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