Joe talked to RedTV after agreeing to extend his Pittodrie stay until the summer of 2020:

“It was not a difficult decision.

“I feel the club are heading in the right direction. The manager has shown great commitment to the club. There was well documented interest in him and his staff this summer. That is going to come when you have success at a football club.

“The manager staying sent a big message in the belief he has for the football club.

“The manager has also shown the belief he has in the squad by staying and I was more than happy to do the same.

“We can continue building and moving forward.

“It was an easy decision for me to make with the commitment the manager has shown.

“I had a really enjoyable season last year and I am hoping to replicate that this season.

“I also enjoy living up here. It is a long way from where I am from and I was not sure what to expect when I first moved here but it has turned out to be a great decision for me to come to Aberdeen and I was more than happy to extend that to 2020. My family also enjoy living here. We have made some good friends and have great neighbours. We enjoy living where we do. I little boy is in nursery. We have met some lovely people.

“As a player when you get a bit older these things come into account when you are signing a contract. You need to chat things over with your family as you need to make sure they are happy as well. They were more than supportive for me to stay here.

“It is done now and we can look forward.

“We lost a couple of players at the end of the season. It is now up to other players to fill those voids. It is now time for the players who are still here including one or two young lads and the incoming players to step and fill those gaps and move the club forward.

“I am sure the manager will be looking to recruit high quality players to fill the gaps so we can go one better next season.

“The manager will be looking to build a team again and have a team ready for the start of the season in a couple of weeks’ time.

“We are back in today and it is good to see the lads again and we are really looking forward to the season now.

“I have not been to Bosnia or Kazakhstan so it will be a new experience for me and it is something I am looking forward to it. Part of the attraction of Aberdeen football Club is the European campaigns and last season was an incredible learning experience for me, playing away in Europe especially. The Thursday night home games were great as well. There was a great feel about the place, very different to a league game. As a footballer new experiences are always a good thing.

“Everyone’s aim is to get to the group stages. We know that will be tough but that is the aim. We have a round less to navigate this season which might help us a little bit but we need to make sure we are ready for the first game.

“We came back today and did a bit of fitness testing which is not always enjoyable. But all the lads look real fit and are raring to go.”