While that’s made the headlines, slipping under the radar is the fact United have been playing for months now without the likes of Lee Wilkie, Francisco Sandaza, Scott Robertson, Jon Daly, Kevin Smith, Keith Watson and, for this weekend, Garry Kenneth.

Rather than label that a crisis, the gaffer prefers to regard it an opportunity for others to come in and do well, and he’s delighted so many have done that.

“We all get injuries, but that’s why we try to put together decent squads and I have to say that, this season, we have coped very well,” he said.

“I also won’t be calling our situation a crisis, because when you do that you are providing a ready-made excuse for a bad performance and I am still very happy with the team I’ll be able to put out on Sunday.”

On that subject, while tendonitis has seen him excused from training for the past 10 days or so, Morgaro Gomis will be in his usual place against the Hoops.

“We’ve taken the chance to get it cleared up, but, if we’d needed Morgaro for a game, he would have been OK to play and he’ll be OK for the weekend,” added the United gaffer.

And, while his quicker-than-expected recovery from groin trouble will not see Kenneth available for Sunday, Craig confirmed he expects the big defender to be ready for Motherwell on Saturday week.

“I’ve heard people say a few times the team that wins this cup doesn’t go up, but I won it with Inverness and we went on and got promoted the same season,” said Hart, who finished a runner-up to Airdrie with Ross County last term.

“I think it might have happened a few times and, strangely enough, teams who then get relegated have won it as well.

“In the last couple of seasons, a lot of the clubs involved in the final have been up challenging or down fighting relegation, so this season I’d like to think, if we can win it, we can also go on and win the league.”

Looking specifically at Sunday’s game, he admits facing his former employers will be special and is predicting an enthralling 90 minutes.

“Inverness have been a bit up and down and they’ve struggled at home, but their away form has been decent and they have got players who can hurt us.

“They are a good side with a good manager, and a lot of my ex team-mates are still there, so I know it will be tough for us.

“The 2-2 draw at Dens at the beginning of the season showed that. It was not great for us, because we dropped points, but for the spectators it was a great game and it should be good again on Sunday.”

Not that Hart has told any of his old mates from the Highland capital that, and he admits the banter has started already.

“I speak to big Ross Tokely, Stuart Golabek and Grant Munro almost every day, and it is going to be great coming up against them,” he added.

“They want to win this and then get back up to the SPL. I am in the same boat, so there has been a bit of chat between us and that’ll continue. I still have a soft spot for Inverness, because I’ve lived up there all my life and I had a great time at both Inverness and Ross County, but Inverness especially.

“To get to where I got to with them, surpassed all my ambitions and I never thought we’d reach where we did. Having been there with them, that’s where I want to get back to with Dundee.”

Midfielder Brian Kerr, meanwhile, was rejoining squad training this morning as he continued to step up his work after an ankle knock.

Striker Leigh Griffiths is still feeling a kick he took while on Scotland duty at the weekend, though the biggest concern today was staying dry in the torrential rain.