The midfielder, who has just been promoted to the full squad from the under-19s, caught the bug on a flight back to the UK from Ibiza.

Urquhart (19), who lives in Montrose, was due to return to pre-season training last week but called manager John McGlashan last Thursday to say he wasn't feeling well.

McGlashan revealed to the Herald: "Robert was due to start pre-season training last Thursday but he called me beforehand to say he was feeling under the weather and I told him just to stay at home rather than come to training.

"After visiting the doctor on Friday it was confirmed he had swine 'flu which he thinks he caught on the flight back home from his holiday.

"He has been taking tablets for it and we hope to see him back at training soon."

McGlashan also told the Herald that he is thankful he made the decision to tell Urquhart to stay at home as he usually encourages players to still do light training if they have cold or 'flu like symptoms.

He said: "Normally if a player doesn't feel too good I tell them to still come to training just to do some jogging because quite often it can make you feel a bit better.

"But because we were training in Perth on Friday and Robert lives in Montrose, I told him just to stay at home because it's a long way to come when you don't feel too good.

"However, if we had been training in Arbroath I probably would have told him to still come to training and I could have then had the whole first team squad with swine 'flu and if that had happened it would have completely ruined our pre-season training schedule."

The diagnosis has prompted the club to put a contingency plan into place in case more players are struck down by the virus in the coming season.

McGlashan added: "We have discussed it with a doctor and drew up a plan in case more players end up with swine 'flu. We are hoping to that the plan will allow us to get the drug tamiflu to the players quickly if they need it."