Sevelj and Graham trigger new deals, while season over for Fatah and Luca
Skipper Ross and gaffer's favourite Vicko will return to Tannadice, while Luca and Amar await scans on potentially season-ending injuries.
Ross Graham and Vicko Sevelj will both return to Tannadice next season, according to transfer reports.
Dundee United are set to trigger one-year options on both players.
Sevelj, described by his teammates as the “gaffer’s favourite”, has enjoyed a strong season, while Academy graduate Graham — named the squad’s captain despite still recovering from injury at when the season kicked off — has been a less consistent performer as United’s backline continues to leak goals.
Similar contract extensions are also available on Ryan Strain and Kristijan Trapanovski, who have both battled injuries this season.
Strain has struggled to get back in the squad, while Trapanovski’s 25/26 campaign is over as he awaits surgery for knee ligament damage.
United also hold a two-year option on goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer, who also is currently out of action due to a dislocated shoulder.
Will Ferry is expected to attract some suitors as he enters the final year of his deal at the club, while Craig Sibbald will depart at the end of the season after penning a three-year deal to return to his boyhood club Falkirk.
United have tied up some early transfer business with the pre-contract signings of two A-League stars: Lachlan Rose and Jesse Randall.
Talks have also begun with a third A-League star, Melbourne Victory right-back Joshua Rawlins.
Season over for Fatah and Stephenson?
Amar Fatah and Luca Stephenson are both waiting on the results on the scans which will determine whether their respective seasons are over.
Fatah left Tannadice on crutches after crumpling to the ground less than 15 minutes into the clash against Livingston.
You could almost hear the collective wail from the stands when Fatah hit the deck clutching his hamstring after attempting to catch a wayward pass from Vicko Sevelj.
Flanked by two United medics, Fatah struggled to walk off unaided and was later seen on crutches in the stands.
The 22-year-old has been one of the Premiership’s standout players this season and a real coup for United.
Meanwhile fellow loanee Stephenson, who picked up a hamstring injury in training, has been spent to a specialist amid fears he may have kicked his last ball for United.
The Liverpool loanee, who returned to Tannadice for a second season, faces an anxious wait to see if he will be fit to play again before the end of the season.
The 22-year-old fan favourite has quietly been one of United’s most consistent players, even leading the team out on one occasion.
Stephenson’s 24/25 campaign, which saw him named the club’s Young Player of the Year, also ended prematurely when he required surgery for a double hernia, which it emerged he had been playing through for months.
Manager Jim Goodwin said: “Luca picked up a knock in training on Wednesday, which ruled him out for [Livingston]. He’s going to go and see a specialist in the early part of the week.”
Ferry pays tribute to much-loved United fan Iona
Will Ferry dedicated his second ever goal for United to a young fan of the club who recently passed away.
Iona Stewart was just eight years old when she died after a two-year battle with a rare form of cancer.
Described by her father Iain as a “very happy little girl who especially enjoyed dancing and football”, Iona enjoyed visits from her favourite United players Ferry and Luca Stephenson while she was in hospital.
Fans at Tannadice paid tribute to Iona with applause in the 8th minute of Saturday’s game against Livingston with Iona’s father and sister in attendance.
Ferry later dedicated Saturday’s goal — his second ever for the club — to Iona and her family.
The Vice Captain told The Courier: “I spoke to Iona’s dad on Saturday morning, and I said I had a feeling I was going to score.
“I said I’d do my best for him and the family – hopefully by winning – so that just felt perfect.”
In other news:
Manager Jim Goodwin swapped the dugout for the starting XI as he played in a charity match to raise cash for Alzheimer Scotland.
Lee Wilkie: Why dangerous Dundee United will rack up goals in bottom six [The Courier, £]
Tickets for the last Derby of the season are on sale now.