Derek McInnes will have been delighted to get 45 minutes into Funso Ojo on his return from a hamstring tear.
Central midfield anchor Ojo spent close to three months on the sidelines after a hamstring tear, with the £125,000 signing from Scunthorpe not featuring since the 1-1 draw with St Johnstone at Pittodrie in September.
His absence has coincided with fellow midfield signing Craig Bryson’s repeated ankle problems, which have kept him out of the side for long spells.
As a result, McInnes has had to make do with Zak Vyner and Greg Leigh, both brought in on loan to strengthen the defence, in the middle of the park.
This has brought mixed results, with the 3-0 win over Motherwell at Fir Park a high point.
In the first half of the 2-2 draw with Rangers, however, and in the losses to Celtic and Hibs, the pair’s inexperience in that part of the pitch was exposed.
Ojo was signed to be a ball-winner in midfield who can then get the Dons playing.
Hopefully those 45 minutes can do him good and he can kick on against Celtic at Parkhead in the next league outing.
McInnes will be desperate for Ojo – who has also played for Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven – to now be free of any issues, so that he can become a key man in the side for the rest of the campaign.
This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.