Dundee boss James McPake hasn’t given up on Celtic loanee Jonathan Afolabi, although he admits that at the moment the player is down the pecking order when it comes to strikers at the club.
The Dens Park side recently added Jason Cummings to their squad, and Osman Sow has established himself as the main striker at the club.
McPake disclosed that he still believes in Afolabi’s ability, but he needs to impress more on the training ground.
“Who is working hardest”
“It comes down to who is working hardest, doing the most in training and then, ultimately, doing it out on the pitch” he said (The Courier).
“It comes down to who deserves the place in the team most and that’s judged on training. That’s something all the players have to do” McPake mused.
The Dundee boss feels that the 21-year-old needs to match the level of work shown by the other strikers at the club in order to win his place back in the squad.
Scored three goals this season
So far this season, Afolabi has made 11 appearances for Dundee, scoring three goals. However, his chances for the rest of his loan spell may be limited unless he battles to match the standards set by the other players at the club.
“To get in the team you have to work really hard and prove you are worth a place in the team – then you have to produce the goods on a Saturday. Jonathan has to get to that level” McPake concluded.
Dundee is next in action on Saturday against Queen of the South. It will be interesting to see if Afolbai makes the Dundee squad after McPake’s remarks.