Wilkie has already indicated he will probably go for the second option, but, while he will be backed by club and manager whatever he decides, his gaffer thinks he should not rush into any decision.

“It’s obviously bad news for Lee and now he has a big choice to make, but he has got as much time as he needs to make it and he should take a while,” said Alan.

“Perhaps the best way forward would be for him to do a bit of training between now and the end of the season, see how things go and make a decision then.”

One positive for the fans’ favourite is there is a good chance the transplant ligament he had inserted in America did not take, rather than it snapping when he was injured against St Johnstone over a fortnight ago.

If that is the case, it means the remedial work he has completed since last July was done without a ligament and that gives some hope that he could play on.

“We’ve been told it is impossible to tell when it went and it could be that it never took. In a way that is encouraging because he has done a lot of work without any problems,” added Alan.

Turning to the bitter disappointment of the Scottish Cup semi defeat to Gretna, Alan admitted it was not just Wilkie’s Dens future that was now in doubt.

Players who have been playing for cup places in recent weeks will now be spending the final month of the season trying to show they are worth new contracts for next season.

Among those out of contract in the summer are Barry Smith, Kelvin Jack, plus three of this term’s signings, Stuart McCluskey, Steven Craig and Graham Law.

So far Alan has held no talks regarding new deals and has stressed performances over the next six games would go a long way to deciding who he speaks to.

“We have four games coming in the next 12 days or so, we will have to use the whole squad, and that means everyone will get a chance to show they should be here next year. That makes the games important.”

While the team may have failed to live up to expectations at Hampden, the 8000 fans who backed Dundee did and that has prompted praise and a pledge from owner Peter Marr. “The fans were superb on Saturday and the numbers showed this is still a big football club. We thank the supporters for the way they got behind the team and we promise them everyone here will continue to work hard to give them the success they deserve,” he said.

Dundee’s next action is against Ross County at Dingwall tomorrow. McCluskey is an injury doubt.

That’s automatically ruled him out of Saturday’s trip to Falkirk, where Craig Samson will deputise. With just a month of the season to go, he could be struggling to feature again before next term.

Almost the only consolation for United boss Craig Brewster following yesterday’s drubbing from Rangers was that the defeat was not even heavier.

A Kris Boyd hat-trick helped the Champions’ League-chasing Ibrox men to a 4-1 win and Craig admitted that, on chances, things could have been worse.

While praising the standard of the opposition performance, however, he also made it clear his own team were a big disappointment.

“If you are asking me if there was any consolation it’s that it wasn’t even worse. Rangers played very well, but I don’t think there was anyone in our team who can say they reached their best levels and when that happens against the Old Firm you are in trouble,” he said.

As well as his team’s display, the Tangerines’ gaffer admitted he was unhappy with the Tannadice pitch. It had to be heavily sanded to get the previous game against Kilmarnock on after rain threatened a postponement and, by yesterday, eight days later, it still had not recovered.

The surface will be in use again tomorrow when Rangers reserves visit for a game that should see Paul Ritchie back for the first time since suffering a dead leg in January.

Grant Brebner, suspended for the last two games and injured before that, can also play and should make his return to the first team at Falkirk.

He, in turn, fed Jason Scotland whose shot, although only half-hit, trundled home after striking a post.

It completed the Trinidad and Tobago star’s first hat-trick since his days with Defence Force in his homeland and, although he was the Man of the Match, he was one of several star performers in a Saints side which dug deep to win against their equally attack-minded and entertaining visitors.

After the match, Ryan revealed, “For the winning goal, I saw Owen making a run and I fired the ball into the area he was running into.

“He passed to Jason and he did the rest.”

Injuries to Goran Stanic and Steven Anderson meant Ryan and Stevie Milne were introduced to the action with less than half-an-hour gone and both substitutes made their mark, Ryan setting up Saints’ winning goal and Stevie setting up their second.

“When you come on during a game, it takes 10-15 minutes to get into things,” Ryan said. “It can take you that long to get used to the pace of the game and, when they equalised to make it 2-2, I thought ‘That’s it, the season’s gone.

“Then I looked up at one of the ground’s electronic scoreboards and saw Hamilton were 1-0 up at St Mirren.

“And the fans were buzzing because they knew St Mirren were losing.

“We went on to get the winner, then came news that St Mirren had lost another goal.

“We haven’t lost in the league this year and are on a great run in what has turned out to be a great season which will, hopefully, get even better.”