Greg Stewart has come back to Aberdeen a better player after banging in the goals for Kilmarnock.
That is the view of Dons boss Derek McInnes, who brought Stewart back to Pittodrie last week after he spent the first half of the season on loan at Killie.
The two sides meet in the Granite City this afternoon and Stewart, who scored eight goals in 16 games at Rugby Park, is in a better place than when he signed for the Dons last season.
McInnes said: “On the pitch, I can see a really confident player – he’s always had confidence in his ability but even more so now. That’s because he has been playing games and has been in such good form since the start of the season. Every player needs to be fit and playing every week to get to their level.
“When he came here last season he’d been through a period at Birmingham where he hadn’t been playing and he was thrown straight in with us for Europe. There is an admission from him that he could have arrived better, but there is that acknowledgement from us that we both want this loan to work better.
“There is no change in Greg off the pitch, he’s exactly the same and he’s settled straight back in. He’s a likeable boy, a confident boy and he’s chirpy.”
Another player who has made major improvements on the pitch is Sam Cosgrove, who has nine goals in his last eight games and won December’s player of the month award.
McInnes praised the work ethic of the £20,000 striker, who joined from Carlisle United reserves on transfer deadline day last January.
He said: “He came here way behind our boys physically and tactically. It’s a big ask to come here and be our main striker. There was enough, we felt, in him to suggest that us working with him closely and him working hard and committing himself to his career that improvements would come.
“We liked the fact he could run, has got good size, a good touch and he can finish. It’s about trying to bring all that together and doing that while he’s learning on the job.
“I’m really pleased for him because it’s a good indication for all my players that if you put the hours in and don’t let criticism or disappointments stop you from getting where you want to go. He’s still got a long way to go. He’s not without fault but it’s great to see the confidence within the player.
“When people were wanting to beat him up they’d just say he’s only scored one goal in his career. He’s had to do it a different way from a lot of players but he’s not the only player to come through that route to get to a good level. It’s difficult to be our main striker at Aberdeen because there’s a lot expected here.
“For me, he’s shown good resilience, a good balance to his whole career and from the conversations I’ve had with Sam, I’ve always felt there was a maturity there that he would be an important player for us.”