Another of the current crop of promising Aberdeen youngsters has committed his future to the club with talented left-back Daniel Harvie extending his contract until May 2018.

The defender has been part of the Aberdeen FC Youth Academy since the age of 10. A product of the Glasgow Centre, he joined the club as a full-time professional last season. He made his U20 debut in the victory against Celtic in October 2015 before helping them to go on and win the SPFL Development League title. Towards the end of last season he forced his way onto the first team bench. Daniel was then injured during pre-season but has fought his way back to full fitness and has once again been called up to the first team squad on a couple of occasions.

After signing his new deal Daniel spoke to www.afc.co.uk:

“I have signed an additional one year deal which means I have two years left on my contract, which will take me up to the end of my time as an U20 player.

“The deal allows me now to focus fully on my football. It takes away any uncertainty. I can get my head down and I can now look ahead to try and force my way into the first team squad. I know I can’t relax though as I need to keep working hard and need to keep progressing.

“This season has been a difficult one for me. The injury has been very frustrating. It was tough. Everything is my career was going really well and then all of a sudden I was on crutches for months. It has taken a while to get back to where I was. But injuries are just part of the game and you have to deal with them.

“I got injured during pre-season training with the first team at St Andrews. It was a freak accident as I just slipped and manged to break my foot. It was only four days into pre-season and then spent the next six weeks in plater. When you miss out on a proper pre-season you go back to square one and it takes time to get your match sharpness back. It has really only been from Christmas onwards that I have managed to get right back into full fitness. My form I feel has steadily improved since then and I am looking to finish this season strongly.”

Despite last season still being eligible for the U17s, Daniel forced his way into Paul Sheerin's U20 side and has really impressed since then.

“Last season was my first as a full time professional. It took a little while to get used to staying away from home and training every single day. But little anything else you get used to it. It is tough moving away from home at such a young age but it is the sacrifice you have to make.

“I would not have expected to have played anywhere near as many games last season. There was a very good U20 squad and with the fact you are also able to play five over age players, I really did not expect to get my chance so early in my professional career. But I did and felt I did ok when I got my chance.

“We also won the league! That was a great experience. It was great being part of Championship winning team. There was a really strong winning mentality amongst the boys. To win a league title you have to be very consistent over a long period of time. There were a lot of good wins, games where maybe we did not play as well as we can or where we fielded a young side, yet we still managed to dig out a result. That experience will hopefully stand us in good stead for the future. Although we will not win the league this season it has still be another good campaign and we are confident next season we will have another strong squad. It would also be good to have a run in the SFA Youth Cup because that is something we have not done for a few years now.
 
Daniel has also now been in a number of first team squads and along with Scott Wright, Frank Ross and Scott McKenna, he looks the next graduate to make the step up.

“I got pushed into the first team towards the end of last season which meant a change, a change of pace and everything was at a different tempo. It gave me a good insight into what is required to be able to play at that level. The pace of the game, everything is faster, you have to be stronger as the players you are up against are a lot more physical.

“This season I have been away with the first team squad on a number of occasions now. Even if don’t get on the bench it is still great experience being in and around the first team players. It gives you a lot of confidence that the management team think highly enough of you to be part of the squad. So it is certainly a good thing I am getting involved at this stage of my development.

“Although playing for the first team still seems a bit off at the moment you have to have the belief that you will make it.”

Daniel, along with Kalvin Orsi and Jamie Henry, look like being the last players to come through from the AFC Glasgow Centre. Like all the boys who came through the centre before him, he is full of praise for former coach and AFC legend Peter Weir.

“I am from Drumchapel and went to Drumchapel High. I have been with Aberdeen since I was 10, as part of the Glasgow Centre and have come right through all the age groups with Peter Weir. He has been a huge influence on my career. Like Peter, I used to be a winger when I was younger. But then over time and I moved to left back and I felt it was a more comfortable position.

“I loved being part of the Glasgow Centre. I loved training with Peter Weir three times a week. There is still a strong bond between all the Glasgow boys – Kalvin Orsi, Jamie Henry and myself as well as Craig Storie who was a bit older. We have all known each other since we were younger. It made it a lot easier settling into life in Aberdeen with people you already know.”

Daniel first appeared on the radar about a two ago when he featured in the Scotland U16s famous triumph over the Old Enemy in November 2013. It was an historic moment as the win allowed Daniel and his teammates to lift the Victory Shield, the first time a Scottish side had won the competition outright since 1998.

“It was a great experience and was very special because we won it by beating England in the last game. The England match was massive as it was a winner takes all game and was live on Sky. Aaron Norris and Frank Ross both came on as subs so there were three Aberdeen players on the field at fulltime which was a special moment for everyone involved with the AFC Youth Academy.”

“I played for the Scotland U17s last year and was part of the squad that went to the UEFA European Under-17 Championship finals in Bulgaria. That was a great experience. So the next step for me at International level would be to get into the U19 squad but I am not really thinking about that at the moment. I just need to keep working hard to get back to where I was before the injury.”