Ryan Hedges has certainly impressed in his first two Dons outings. The winger, who has played in a number of different positions so far, is already looking like a player who will hopefully have a bit impact on Scottish football this season. The 23-year old spoke after the Dons win over Peterhead on Wednesday night and he can’t wait to get his Aberdeen career started for real next week in Europe.

 

“My early impressions of my new team are really positive.

“I think it looks a good group.

“We have made some very good signings. Some real quality with the likes of James Wilson coming in, Craig Bryson and Greg Leigh from the Dutch league. It shows the calibre of players this club can attract.

“Going forward into the new season we are all on a high and are confident about what we can achieve.

“We are looking forward to the European challenge next week now.

Attacking Threat

“I think the goals will come as the team starts to gel.

“We have so many new players, five or six coming into the starting XI, so it is going to take time. The Peterhead friendly built on what happened the previous Saturday and hopefully we can build again in the Inverness game and then keep going forward.

“I think my main attribute is that I like to get on the ball. If you look around the team then you can see that we have got goal scorers. Sam Cosgrove, Curtis Main, James Wilson has come in; we have got goals there. Hopefully I can create and also add to the goal tally by chipping in. That is what I want to do from the team.

Position

“As long as I am on the pitch I am happy!

“I am versatile so I am comfortable with play anywhere across the front three, even as a number 9. Wherever the gaffer sees fit, I am more than happy to play there.”

Why Aberdeen?

“I had offers to stay in England, but I when I came up to speak with the manager and Russ Richardson, they sold it to me. With the new training ground, the new stadium, European football as well as their track record over the past five or six seasons, they were all factors.

“Since the gaffer has been here it is definitely a club that has been in and around it. That is something I want to be part of.

“I want to play in Europe. I want to play in cup finals. I want to help the team do well in the league.”

Europe

“Next Thursday is going to be a huge game.

“It is going to be a huge game for all the players in the dressing room. It will be a great occasion for the club.

“We will certainly not take the opposition lightly.

“They are in the middle of their season so they will be in better shape than we are and that is something we will be well aware of. Between now and then we have to keep working as hard as we can on the fitness. I got 80 minutes against Peterhead and hopefully I can get more minutes under my belt on Saturday.

“We will also do all our background research to make sure we have the best preparation we can for the game.

“Hopefully with the crowd behind us, we can do well in the first leg and get a good result.

“We are in the competition to go as far as we can. We will take one leg at a time and see how we far we can go. It is so important we get a good result at Pittodrie to help us get into the second round.

“It is a great way to start my Aberdeen career. It will be a completely new experience for me. As I said it was a reason that helped sell the move to me. It is something all players want to do in their career, you want to play in Europe and play at the highest possible level you can. This is something I can add to my CV.”

Ryan Giggs

“It will hopefully help my International career.

“When I was making the decision I spoke to Ryan Giggs. He said game time was paramount and that is what I am here to do. Hopefully I can play as many minutes as I can and also be an influence on the side this season.

“Obviously with the links between Ryan and Sir Alex Ferguson, he knows about the club. He was also keeping tabs on James Wilson last season as well. He said as long as you are playing and you are happy, go for it.

“I spoke to a good number of people, they all said good things about the SPFL and everyone I spoke to said it was a good move. Every person said grab it with both hands.

“Having watched games on TV, I felt it would be a good standard for me, probably a better standard than in England if I had stayed there.”

Danny Ward

“Before coming here, I spoke to Danny Ward. I am quite close with him. Because we are friends, I always kept tabs on him in Scotland. He done really well at Aberdeen. I am sure the manager must have rued the decision when Liverpool called him back because they were doing very well in the league that season. He said he would come up and visit and looks forward to coming back to Pittodrie to see a game.

“He said that Aberdeen helped his career.

“You also look at the likes of James Maddison and others, they have gone on and played in the Premiership. That is something one day I would like to do, play at the highest level I can, but I am an Aberdeen player and I can’t wait to give it my all.

“Hopefully I can impress the Aberdeen supporters. I got an assist against Peterhead so that has got me up and running.

“Hopefully once the season starts the fans will take to me.”