Aberdeen are set to receive an early Christmas present with Norwich City preparing to give on-loan midfielder James Maddison the green light to remain at Pittodrie for the rest of the season.
The 20-year-old has been a standout performer for the Dons since joining the club on loan on deadline day.
The attacking midfielder is due to return to Norwich at the start of January but Canaries manager Alex Neil is understood to be delighted with the progress Maddison is making at Pittodrie and prepared to allow the young Englishman to prolong his stay.
Maddison, speaking ahead of tonight’s match against Motherwell Fir Park to face Motherwell, has enjoyed every minute of his time with the Dons, particularly netting a last-minute winner against Rangers in September.
He said: “Before coming here I didn’t actually realise how big a game that was.
“Now I know and to score that will be one of the highlights of my career and something I’ll always look back on.
“I’m so grateful to the supporters and how they’ve treated a young lad like me.
“The majority wouldn’t have known me before I came here but they’ve been really good with me.
“They’ve just taken me to their hearts and I appreciate that. Not just on the pitch, off the pitch as well.
“If you see supporters when you go out for food in the city, everyone’s really kind and really nice and always have positive things to say.
“You go out on loan to gain different experiences that you haven’t experienced before.
“I’ve played in a cup final, I’ve played in front of 50,000 which I haven’t done before and I’ve taken a lot of physical knocks. All the things you’d tick off for what you say is a successful loan, I think done.”
Maddison has been booked twice for simulation this season against Caley Thistle last month – which was rescinded on appeal – and in the 5-1 success against Kilmarnock earlier this month.
But the Englishman insists he does not go to ground too easily.
He said: “I’m not a diver, on both accounts I was wrongly cautioned. One was rescinded and the other we didn’t appeal but I’ve watched it back and I still feel as though I was fouled.
“I get fouled quite a lot as it is, so I don’t need to buy cheap free kicks.
“I get kicked a lot but it’s not really something I think about. I’m just playing my game. If I’m dribbling with the ball I’m just thinking about how I can get to goal or how I can get to a team-mate.
“I’m not thinking about winning free kicks, if they foul me then I trust the referee to make the right judgment.”