Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes hopes a two-week winter break to Dubai will lead to the club getting the best out of Niall McGinn.
The Northern Ireland international has been on the bench regularly in the last month with the Dons manager believing the midfielder’s performances have been affected by fatigue due to a near year-round calendar after his international and club commitments of the past three seasons.
McGinn showed his value to the Aberdeen cause when he came off the bench to score in his side’s 2-1 defeat by Ross County at Dingwall on Saturday and McInnes hopes the two-week break from January 1 will lead to a re-energised and revitalised McGinn returning to the fold in 2017.
The Dons manager said: “He brought a spark to our play, one which maybe wasn’t there against St Johnstone last week but there were reasons for that. You can see what he is capable of from what he did in the 40 minutes he was on the pitch against Ross County.
“I was delighted with Niall’s reaction and the impact he gave us. It’s difficult for Niall at present as we’ve got a tired player there and we have to try to manage his games between now and the two-week break in January.”
McGinn’s excellent cameo at Dingwall apart, Saturday’s trip to the Highlands was a hugely frustrating one for the Dons who, having equalised, conceded a late goal against 10-man County.
The defeat leaves Aberdeen seven points adrift of Rangers as the race for second place in the Premiership intensifies, but McInnes remains staunch in his belief the Dons will respond strongly.
He said: “Ultimately it is the resolve that matters but the performance, certainly from a lot of players, was decent. We’re looking for a bit more from one or two others but it is important we knuckle down, go again and see where we are.”
“We all need to play the same amount of games and we have a game in hand on most teams around us and we’re the only team in the top six to have played Celtic twice as well.
“We still have opportunities to win points and we are still capable of being that team which goes on a run.”