Gothenburg Great Bryan Gunn hopes Joe Lewis can keep Aberdeen challenging at the top of the Premiership.
Gunn, who was Lewis’ goalkeeping coach at Norwich City, has watched the stopper’s development with interest and has seen him fulfil his potential with the Dons.
Lewis started his career with the Canaries and remains a boyhood fan of the club. He ended a 13-year association with Norwich in 2008 when he moved to Peterborough United, amassing 167 appearances in his first stint as a true number one.
Cardiff City and a tilt at the Premier League came calling in 2012, however Lewis made just one appearance in the English top flight – a 1-1 draw with Hull City in September 2013. He had loan spells at Blackpool and Fulham in the following seasons but it was only with his move to the Granite City in 2016 that he made himself a household name.
He signed a five-year contract extension earlier this year and was named club captain, following Graeme Shinnie’s departure to Derby County.
Gunn, who was Jim Leighton’s understudy before leaving for Norfolk in 1986, said: “Joe always had potential, right from the early days, but unfortunately the club were not in a position to turn a bid down from Peterborough, which I believe was around £500,000.
“We had younger goalkeepers coming through at the time, like Declan Rudd and Jed Steer, and the club decided to cash in. Joe went on to play in the Championship at a young age and then made the move to Cardiff. He had sort of a nomadic career at a few clubs but he’s now found a home for himself at Aberdeen.
“They are obviously confident enough in him to extend his contract for a number of years and hopefully he keeps Aberdeen challenging up the top end of the league for as long as possible.”
Norwich has proved a fruitful breeding ground for goalkeepers of late. Gunn made close to 400 appearances for the club and played for them in Europe, while Robert Green and John Ruddy have gone on to represent England at international level.
Gunn’s own son Angus was in Norwich’s youth system before moving to Man City at the age of 15, while he also spent a season on loan at Carrow Road in 2017-18. Declan Rudd and Jed Steer – the latter believed to be on Scotland’s radar – have also played regular Championship football for Preston and Aston Villa respectively.
The Dons return to league action on Saturday against Motherwell, having won two of their last five games. They find themselves in fourth place, four points behind the Steelmen.