Pape Habib Gueye will 'come back stronger' from Aberdeen injury as Jimmy Thelin rallies support for stricken star
The Senegalese forward is not expected to play again this year after suffering a quad muscle tear injury
Jimmy Thelin knows Pape Habib Gueye is determined to come back even stronger and aid Aberdeen’s push for success in the second half of the season.
The big striker had been something of a revolution for the 100% Dons this season before a training ground injury curtailed him and means he will be out until the New Year. Thelin admitted it is important he and everybody at Cormack Park rallies around their top scorer and helps him get through this latest setback.
“If you belong to something or have friends outside the football world or family or in the football team,” the Swede claimed. “Everything is easy when it goes well. But the most important thing is how we support each other when it is tough times.
“It can be different. Sometimes it can be an injury or can happen outside football. That is when you have to show it is for real and how you support your team-mates as friends. There is usually a big smile on Pape’s face and a lot of energy. He is quite determined to come back even stronger.”
Aberdeen have won all 13 games under Thelin. They are the only team in Europe’s top leagues not to have lost a game. It has set the Dons up nicely for their top of the table trip to Celtic next Saturday. Thelin has been working with his squad, who aren’t away on international duty. He sees a real hunger in his team and that is really driving them on.
He explained: “You have to try to keep this hunger to always evolve, improve and do better things. You can never during a season think now we know everything.
“The trick is to stay focused on improvements and get better all the time. That’s not so easy as there are a lot of things going around a football club and an opponent also may change parts.
“So far so good. The way they train is for me the best signal, they are so prepared for training sessions. How they take care of themselves after the sessions, how hard they work in training.
“How good the discussions are in the meetings. There is a real hunger inside the squad and that’s the most important thing for us.
“And try to get better and better performances. Sometimes the opponent has momentum or our performance is not perfect but we have to still find ways to win a game.
“And fight together. As long as the team spirit is there .we can always find ways to grow.”
The likes of Kevin Nisbet, Jack MacKenzie and Nicky Devlin are all away with the Scotland squad for Saturday's clash in Croatia and next week’s game at home to Portugal. Topi Keskinen played for Finland in their defeat to the Republic of Ireland, where Pittodrie team mate Jamie McGrath came off the bench late on.
The Finns play England on (Sunday) and the Irish travel to Greece. Slobodan Rubezic’s Montenegro side were also in action against Turkey last night and Dimitar Bitov’s Bulgaria take on Luxembourg today on Saturday.
Thelin is pleased that so many Aberdeen players are getting international experience. “I’m so happy they have got the opportunity to play for their country,” the former Elfsborg boss insisted.
“The other players, coaches, teams, big games surrounding the national team. With the national team also how proud it can be to take on the shirt.
“It is only positive and the more the better for us. They will learn things that they will take back in their tool box and improve there also. So it is perfect.”