Craig Bryson says Aberdeen must put the shackles on Stevie May on Saturday as he looks for a proper lift-off to his Pittodrie career.
May is coming back to the Granite City just two weeks after leaving for St Johnstone after the saga of the summer was finally ended at the end of the window.
Bryson, pictured right, knows how often in the past players have come back to haunt their old clubs so he’s desperate to shut out May as he seeks to play his first full game as a Don.
The former Scotland international said: “It’s up to the gaffer and the defence to see how we handle Stevie May – and hopefully we can keep him quiet.
“He’s a good lad. I got on well with him when he was at Pittodrie and I wish him well at St Johnstone – but obviously not on Saturday.
“You have a point to prove in every game – you always do.
“I’m sure he’ll want to come back up to Aberdeen and show what he’s all about. It’s up to us as a team to keep him out and hopefully win the game.”
The former Derby midfielder says it’s crucial for the Dons to build on the win over Ross County before the break after shipping points on the road.
And he says there are no excuses now that European football is off the agenda.
Bryson said: “The win over Ross County was a big result for us I think when you’re travelling to Croatia and Georgia and then having to get ready for games at the weekend, it can be tough.
“Obviously, we’ve had poor results at Kilmarnock and St Mirren and you can kind of use the European games as an excuse for that.
“But now that we’re out of the competition there are no excuses. We just need to kick on now and get a run going.”
It’s been a frustrating start for Bryson who was still recovering from a ruptured ankle when he joined the Dons but he’s ready to go now.
Bryson said: “Hopefully on Saturday I can get my first 90 minutes.
“It’s not ideal when you join a new club injured but everyone knew the situation when I signed.
“I tried to push it a wee bit in a bid to be ready for one of the European games and I suffered a wee setback.
“But I seem to be over that now so hopefully I can really push on and get my season started this weekend.”
Craig Bryson was speaking at the launch of the SPFL Match Attax 2019-20 trading card game.