Aberdeen manager Craig Brown has absolved Scotland Under-21s coach Billy Stark of any blame over Ryan Jack's injury.
The youngster suffered a broken foot while on international duty with the young Scots, who were competing in the Marbella Cup in Spain.
Jack is expected to be sidelined until the end of January but Brown says the Dons were simply unfortunate and refused to point the finger of blame.
He said: "I've got to commend Billy Stark who was straight on the phone to me full of apologies.
"He said he couldn't apologise enough for what happened to him.
"I told him it was certainly not his fault.
"I was assistant manager of the Scotland team when Ally McCoist broke his leg in Portugal.
"That was a major blow to the player and the club and this is a blow to the player and the club as well.
"The difference was, that was a competitive game and this was a friendly fixture.
"But you can't do without friendlies when trying to prepare the under-21 national team.
"So it's absolutely no fault whatsoever of Billy Stark and his under-21 fixtures - we were just unlucky."
Other than Jack, Brown expects to name a similar squad to the one who defeated Kilmarnock in their last outing, when they travel to Dundee United in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.
United head into Saturday's clash at Tannadice second bottom of the table but the Dons boss does not expect victory to be handed to his side on a plate.
Brown said: "We should have confidence but we've got to keep a lid on it and not just think, because we won a couple of games, we can just turn up and the points will be secured - far from it, especially at Tannadice.
"We've got to play with the same attitude we've displayed in the recent matches and if we do that we'll be hard to beat.
"I'm not making any promises about a victory but I am making promises about the effort and commitment to please the big support we are taking down to Tannadice.
"The message from me to the players is always 'you've not to let these people down, it costs time and it costs money'.
"The devotion they've got to the team has got to be rewarded and the only way to reward them is to win games. Hopefully we won't let them down."
He added: "Tannadice is a good venue for what I anticipate to be an excellent game against a team which is far better than its league position.
"When you look at Dundee United, individually and collectively, they're a good side.
"They've had some heavy defeats recently so they will be more determined than ever to rectify the mistakes that have costs them goals in previous matches. So I anticipate a very difficult game at Tannadice."
