Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin hopes to have all his new recruits in the squad to face Rangers on Wednesday as he continues to deal with a challenging injury crisis.
Thelin's team have been out of sorts over the past two months after a promising start to their Scottish Premiership campaign, failing to find a win on their last 11 attempts.
The Swede hasn't been helped by injuries to key players, with first choice goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov and top scorer Pape Gueye still sidelined. Meanwhile, striker Ester Sokler and centre-back Gavin Molloy remain long-term absentees.
Aberdeen have landed Jeppe Okkels, Kristers Tobers, Alfie Dorrington, and Alexander Jensen over the past week, with a new frontman next on the list.
Sunderland's Nazariy Rusyn is believed to be one of the options being considered to fill that role.
Rusyn joined the Wearside club from Zorya Lugansk in September 2023 on a four-year deal. However, the forward has struggled to secure a consistent spot in the starting lineup. It is understood that Aberdeen are now exploring the possibility of adding him to their ranks in a bid to bolster their attacking options.
In addition, it’s thought that full-back Jack MacKenzie could depart Pittodrie during the winter transfer window. English Championship side Sheffield Wednesday are the latest club to show an interest 23-year-old, whose contract expires in the summer.
“The situation we are in right now, with some injury problems, it’s challenging the squad," Thelin explained as he previewed the trip to Ibrox.
"When you get injuries, long-term injuries in specific areas of the team, it’s also more high-risk for the players who are fresh because there’s no availability to rest them.
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“We need to strengthen the squad to cope with the last part of the season. We need to just be sensible, to give them some time to prepare themselves, but they’re going to be involved in the squad tomorrow.
“Let’s see with one of them but it [paperwork] is almost done.
“We also need to be sensible so they don’t get any setbacks themselves, so that we can keep everybody fresh to compete to the end of the season.
“With Alexander Jensen I know him well from Sweden. He can play on both sides, left and right.
“His game understanding is really good, how he anticipates the game and his capacity to run. He’s coming from pre-season training so we need to give him time. He has the capacity to keep the intensity of the game.
“Alfie is a good centre-back who is good with the ball. His pace and his background, how he understands the game, can help us also during the season.”
"We have a strong belief and we feel really prepared. We know that Rangers are a strong team and they are good at home, but we also have a strong belief to go into the game. We feel ready and prepared.
"We have to get better, we have to improve to deserve to win games. So, our focus is right now not on the table. We feel as if we need to get better intensity and also how we arrive in the box with more players.
"We have some clear ideas with what we want to do."
