Josh Parker believes his return to Britain with Aberdeen is a match made in heaven.
The 24-year-old Englishman, who started his career with Queen’s Park Rangers, has spent the last two years in Europe with Domzale, of Slovenia, and Serbian side Red Star Belgrade.
Parker has struggled in Serbia but he hopes the chance to return to British football with a short-term loan at Aberdeen until January can benefit both the Dons and himself.
Parker, who signed just in time to make the line-up for the team photograph at Pittodrie yesterday, said: “The team needs me but I need them just as much and I hope this will be a match made in heaven.
“This is not a step up or down, it’s a step in the right direction. Red Star has the history but this club is closing the gap on Celtic and if I can do well it can only help me. That’s why this move feels so right.
“My pace is my biggest asset. I can play wide even though I’m not the biggest fan. I spoke to the physio here who said Sone Aluko was played out wide as he was so quick here.
“I’m good in the air too and I hope to do well here. I haven’t set myself any targets yet but I will as you always need something to work towards. I just want to come in and make an impact in the right way by helping a team which is going in a good direction.”
Parker’s road to Pittodrie has been a varied one with spells in the lower leagues of English football at Northampton Town, Wycombe Wanderers, Oldham Athletic, Dagenham and Redbrdige and Oxford United proving uneventful before he took the plunge of a major lifestyle change in Slovenia.
It’s a decision he believes turned his career around and he would recommend all British players consider trying European football.
He said: “The biggest benefit of going abroad for me was learning a different style of football. When I played in the lower leagues in England I was told I wasn’t big enough to be a striker as they wanted someone who was 6ft 2in but it’s not like that in Europe.
“Red Star are one of the biggest teams in football. When I left QPR I made it hard for myself as all my memories were of playing there and I went on a downward spiral.
“My girlfriend at the time fell pregnant and that was when it hit me that I had let my career spiral. I told my agent I needed to focus on my football and I moved to Slovenia. That was a random move in itself as I knew nothing about the place and the manager didn’t want to play me.
“Luckily that manager left and his replacement was younger and gave me the support I needed on a personal level and I started to perform.
“That was when Red Star took an interest and I moved there in January. I didn’t realise the magnitude of the move at the time until I took a look around the stadium. I was a baby when they were at their peak and I realise now how big an achievement it was playing for that club.
“There are players who have played in the Premier League who struggle to play in League 2 when they were released so for me to go to Europe was a big decision and one more players should do.
“I put myself in a position where I had to fight for my career rather than drop down the leagues and I would recommend it to anyone.”
Parker, who is captain of Antigua, concedes he is taking a step into the unknown by joining the Dons but is eager to repay the faith shown in him by manager Derek McInnes, who is a longtime admirer of the player.
He said: “I’m pleased to get everything sorted out and I’m happy to be here now.
“I actually don’t know how the move came about. From what I’ve been told the manager knew about me from when I was younger at QPR and he tried to sign me on loan when he was at St Johnstone.
“Not a lot of people knew I was out of the way at Red Star, so it is a random move but a welcome one.
“We played Kairat before Aberdeen did and someone must have seen me in action.
“The manager called me which was very nice and it is rare to have that personal contact. It wasn’t what I expected but he wanted to know how I was feeling and whether I was excited about the move as the players were in good spirits and he didn’t want to detract from that.
“If I’m honest I don’t know too much about Scottish football. I don’t watch too much football at all actually as if I do I find myself trying to mimic what I see. When I’m here I like to focus on football but when I’m away from it, I’m away.”