Jimmy Thelin revealed Jamie McGrath missed Aberdeen’s 4-1 win over Dundee after undergoing minor facial surgery.
The former St Mirren forward was taken to hospital after a clash of heads with Ross County goalkeeper Kacper Lopata at the start of September.
The club and the player elected to have the procedure done last week so that McGrath will have time to heal during the international break.
Even without the influential Irishman Aberdeen still proved too strong for Dundee after goals from Ante Palaversa, Topi Keskinen, Vicente Besuijen and Kevin Nisbet- two either side of Simon Murray’s consolation – helped the team reach the top of the table.
Thelin said: “We had to make a decision after Jamie got a hit against Ross County.
“They needed to fix some parts so he had minor surgery. We had to decide if we do it before this game or if we have to wait until after the international break, then he’s going to miss maybe three or four games.
“So we took the decision to get it done before this game instead. And now after the break he’ll be fresh to play again.
“It was a minor operation because of that hit in the collision at Ross County.
“There was no danger to Jamie but we had to do it sometime and that was the perfect opportunity for us to do it.
“To be able to still get the victory without him says a lot to us about the squad.
“Some players have played a lot but then other players take the opportunities and responsibilities.
“So, a season is for a squad, not for a starting XI.”
The victory took Aberdeen three points clear of Celtic ahead of the Hoops’ trip to Kilmarnock on Sunday, but Thelin insists it was not a topic within the group.
He added: “We don’t talk about [reaching the top of the table]. We haven’t played every team away and at home yet so we have to just keep moving.
“But it’s good to get a victory before the national team break. We can get some energy from that and good feelings and then come back hopefully even stronger after the break.”
Dundee manager Tony Docherty praised Murray for not letting his head drop after his first-half penalty miss, the striker going on to score midway through the second half.
He said: “Simon will be frustrated. I know his personality but it speaks volumes that he just picks himself up and he goes and scores another goal.
“A great goal, a fantastic header. So, no, he’s not one you need to worry about. We just need to make sure we eradicate those mistakes defensively and give ourselves a chance at winning football matches.”
