Stevie May reckons Aberdeen skipper Graeme Shinnie will be an asset to Derby County after they pried him away from Pittodrie.
Shinnie’s four-year association with the Dons will come to an end this summer, as he moves to the English Championship outfit on a three-year deal.
An ankle injury has curtailed Shinnie’s chances of helping Aberdeen secure a European spot but he is hopeful of making it back for the final game of the season against Hibernian, despite an initial prognosis of at least four weeks out.
May, who played in England for Preston North End and Sheffield Wednesday, believes Shinnie goes will continue to make a success of himself at Pride Park.
He said: “I think he will do well. He’ll do well wherever he goes and he’ll be a great asset to whoever gets him.
“He’s someone I really get on with and probably one of the closest to me in the changing room. He’s a guy you can speak to and he’s a great servant to the club. Whatever he does decide to do, I wish him well.
“Anyone losing a captain will feel a big loss. But that changing room can almost captain itself at times – it’s got the experience, there’s no off-characters and there’s no big-time Charlies. No-one is afraid to put a bit of graft in.”
The Dons have been without Shinnie for back-to-back Scottish Cup semi-finals and lost both 3-0, firstly to Motherwell in 2018 and then Celtic last month. Shinnie was injured in a late tackle with Stuart Findlay in the 1-0 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on April 20.
Injuries have come aplenty this season for manager Derek McInnes and a late spate of them – Niall McGinn was ruled out for the season prior to the Celtic semi-final, as well as Greg Stewart suffering a sciatic nerve problem – has meant options have been limited.
May has found himself in and out of the team this campaign, which has frustrated the former St Johnstone man.
He added: “It’s been a bit more stop-start than I would have liked. I would have liked a couple more goals on the way but if I’m not scoring, I need to be affecting the team in a positive way and I feel like I’ve done that.”