ABERDEEN are facing a defensive crisis during the month of October – when they will face three of their main rivals for the SPL's second Champions League slot.
Former Swindon captain Jerel Ifil, who has had a solid start to his Dons career, limped out of Aberdeen's 0-0 draw with Rangers at Ibrox to join two other Dons defenders on the treatment table.
Ifil failed to recover from a challenge just before half-time and had to be replaced by Stuart Duff, with Ricky Foster moving to centre-back.
Foster went on to have a solid game in the unfamiliar position, but it may be too much to ask the wide midfielder to produce that level of performance at the centre of defence for around a month.
Charismatic defender Zander Diamond remains out until next month having visited a specialist last week in an attempt to isolate and cure his frustrating injury that has forced him out of every Dons fixture this season.
And Italian full-back Davide Grassi faces a six-week absence after having cheekbone surgery following a clash in the CIS Cup defeat at Dens Park.
Young Faroe Isles defender 'Doug' Rogvi Holm was tried out in a couple of the Dons' pre-season games, but looked out of his depth even against lower-league opposition, so his time for a step-up to the first team may not yet have arrived.
Dons boss Mark McGhee now faces a test of his managerial ability to cobble a workable defence together for the Dons' upcoming SPL games with Kilmarnock, Hearts, Dundee Utd and Hibernian.
And he will need to convince the fans that he has learned the lessons of his catastrophic selection of Derek Young at full-back and Stuart Duff at centre-back that led to the humiliating 5-1 defeat to Sigma Olomouc in July.
Better news for the Dons back line is that Aberdeen have opened contract talks with dead-ball wizard Charlie Mulgrew with a view to extending his stay at Pittodrie.
The former Scotland Under-21 international's current deal expires at the end of the season, and McGhee is desperate to keep the 23-year-old at the club.
