Manager Jimmy Thelin spoke to RedTV after the squad arrived at their pre-season training camp in Portugal on Sunday.

“I have really really enjoyed my first week at Aberdeen FC. It has been an amazing start. It has been great meeting all the people around the club. It has been a busy week but there has been a lot of energy also.

“And it has been a really good start today to our pre-season trip in Portugal. It is good to come together and start to get to know each other better. We have 24 hours, more or less, every day now together and I think it is really good to get this time so early with the new staff members and also the players.

“At Cormack Park everyone goes back to their family life and I think it is good to get this time as early as possible to create a team spirit. Then of course when we go back it is normal again, and being with their families is the most important thing but to get this start in the beginning, to see them in different situations is important, so we can get to know the characters of the players.  This then helps us with our management of the players in the tough times, and also the good times as well. It is important to keep that going all the time.

“It is a really short pre-season before the first League Cup game so from day one we have to create the identity. Our goal is as quick as possible to arrive at the stage where when we see the players playing, we know it is Aberdeen who are playing. That is the focus of this camp and the compact training sessions.

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“It is not easy to do everything after one week. Of course, it needs more time, but we try and do it step by step, piece by piece. So the work we do this week, some of it is tactical, some of it is about building the team spirit, but also we work on the work rate and how we look as a pressing team, how we are going to run for each other. This type of thing is important that we build on from the very beginning and we try and raise the standard every game, and every training session in the future.

“Games are always nice. It was good on Saturday (bounce game) to get a start and to try and create a starting point. Now we take ideas from that game and what we worked on the week before and show the players. We then try and add to this so we can get better and better on the things we are working on. That is the most important thing. For example, if we are working on the blocks and how we press, we have to see that and continually progress. But as I said, we can’t do everything in one week.”

The manager welcomes back the players who were away with their international teams at the start of the summer, but one player who will not be in Portugal is Peter Ambrose. This is due to visas issues which are outwith the control of the club. The striker will instead stay in Aberdeen and work with Scott Anderson and the Development squad.

“Of course, we want Peter here, but the situation is what it is. We always try and find solutions and look forward. We are going to do a good job with him back at Cormack Park. He is going to be fit and he is going to be ready. I will also call him to keep things moving all the time.”