Dundee captain Simon Murray has set his sights on earning a fresh contract at Dens Park while continuing his rehabilitation from a severe knee problem. The 34-year-old veteran Scottish Premiership forward, currently sidelined by an ACL injury, confirmed he has held conversations with manager Steven Pressley regarding his future, expressing hope that those discussions will ultimately yield a new deal.
Across the top flight, former Celtic midfielder Vidar Riseth has offered tactical advice on how to unlock the potential of misfiring record signing Kasper Hogh, insisting the team must supply the attacker with more crosses. Riseth also voiced unwavering confidence in Martin O'Neill navigating through a sticky patch of form, hailing his former manager as "one of the great coaches." In other news surrounding Celtic, former forward Frank McAvennie issued an apology after previously criticising defender Auston Trusty for missing matches following the death of his father. Meanwhile, Scotland have been handed a defensive injury concern after Swansea City's Stephen Welsh was forced off after only 23 minutes during a 3-1 loss against Portsmouth.
In Edinburgh, changes in squad status have generated talking points across both sides of the city. Hibernian attacker Martin Boyle dismissed any negative reaction to new manager Marink Reedijk assigning the captaincy to Felix Passlack, despite Boyle regularly sporting the armband over the past two years, stating: "It didn't affect me one single bit." Across town, Hearts' Yan Dhanda opened up about his campaign after being substituted due to cramp in Sunday's League Cup semi-final defeat against Hibs, having entered as a first-half substitute. Dhanda admitted a shortage of minutes this season has been "tough mentally," but pledged to "give everything" in the final year of his contract.
Rounding off the domestic developments, Rangers have seen new comparisons drawn for emerging talent Ryan Naderi. Former player Scott Nisbet remarked that Naderi's recent performances and presence for the Ibrox side evoke memories of his former team-mate Mark Hateley, adding another intriguing storyline to a busy period in Scottish football.