Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes believes Kenny McLean is ready to take his career to new heights by establishing himself as a Scottish international mainstay of Alex McLeish’s national team.
McLean impressed interim manager Malky Mackay in the friendly against the Netherlands at Pittodrie in November and McInnes believes the midfielder, who is on loan at Pittodrie from Norwich City after completing a move to the Canaries in January, has all the attributes required to become a Scotland regular.
He said: “Technically, he has always been a very good player. At St Mirren he was their best player and he played the game a lot of the time as their main man.
“If he played well then they sometimes got a result, although it was always a bit tougher for St Mirren because they were at the bottom of the table. He more or less could do his own thing there.
“When he came here initially he had to integrate with some other very good players and had to find a way into the team.
“He has now become for us what he was at St Mirren. He has become dependable for me and if he is at the top of his game he can be the difference between winning and losing.”
McInnes is proud to see McLean continue his improvement as a player at Pittodrie but will be sad to see the midfielder depart in the summer.
He said: “I would have loved to have worked with him longer. I said that at the start of the season when we were trying to get him to commit.
“There comes a point for Kenny where he needs to develop again. He needs to, like he did when he left St Mirren, kick on again to the next stage.
“He can still score more goals and that is something we have spoken about. Wherever I play him whether it be 6, 8 or 10 he always brings a level of performance.
“The biggest thing is that he always takes responsibility. He demands the ball even in difficult positions and even his running statictics are all through the roof. No one works harder than Kenny McLean to try to get a result for us on a Saturday.”
McLean and fellow Dons Ryan Christie and Scott McKenna are in the squad for the friendlies against Costa Rica and Hungary, and McInnes hopes the growing Aberdeen contingent earning international honours can bolster his attempts to bring new players to the club.
He said: “If you are playing well and for a team doing well then that always helps your cause.”
Scotland countdown, Pages 54 and 55