Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes believes Lewis Ferguson is already showing why the Dons were keen to bring the 19-year-old to Pittodrie.
An SPFL tribunal was needed to decide the transfer fee the Dons must pay Hamilton Accies for the midfielder. The valuation made was much closer to Aberdeen’s £100,000 offer than the £1.25million Accies wanted for their player.
McInnes is pleased the teenager has not let the summer-long saga prevent him from hitting the ground running at his new club.
He said: “We are pleased with the outcome. When we signed Lewis we calculated what it would cost based on the rules and the guidelines that are there.
“I’m just glad we have had the outcome now and we can all move on. We felt we got a fair hearing and now it is dealt with.
“Any 18-year-old who has managed to cement a place at Aberdeen and doing well is going to be someone you are going to have high hopes for.
“Lewis has come in and not settled for just getting his feet under the table and been happy just to be part of the squad.
“He is focussed and determined to get in the team and stay there and that was obvious from the first day he came in for pre-season training.
“He looked like a boy on a mission not to settle for just being part of the squad and his performances have kept him in the side.
“If he can continue to keep doing as well as he’s done and keep improving then we have got a real player on our hands.”
The Dons go in search of their second away win of the season today when they travel to Easter Road to face Hibernian.
The Hibees have lost three key midfielders in John McGinn, Dylan McGeouch and Scott Allan from last season but McInnes believes Neil Lennon’s side will every bit as formidable this season.
He said: “There are certain teams where you can maybe get away with not being at your best for the entire game but Hibs are not one of those.
“For me that’s a warning to take into this game because Neil has lost key players and had to rebuild his squad but there is still a familiarity there.
“I watched a couple of their European games and their match at St Johnstone recently and I’m pretty sure they are going to be as strong as last year.
“He has recruited well, he’s got his strikers doing well and Hibs will be similar to last season in that they’ll be up there again.”