CANADA TURN DOWN UNITED’S DEVOS REQUEST

The build-up to the new season is now underway with the return of recently contracted manager Alex Smith now back from holiday, and with the first batch of players scheduled to restart training in midweek. Disappointingly, skipper Jason de Vos won't report back with his top team colleagues on Thursday. The Canadian joins up with his international team mates for participation in the Copa America some twenty-four hours later. He is not scheduled to return to Tayside until July 22 at the earliest, and will therefore miss out on the Tangerines pre-season warm-up trip to Holland, where games are being planned against a couple of German sides and Dutch First Division outfit Dordrecht. Boss Smith voiced his concern over de Vos's absence, "We appealed to the Canadian FA to release Jason in time for him to prepare for the new season with our squad. It came as no surprise to me when they turned down our request, but it is still a disappointment".