The end date of the 2019-20 season may be unknown but Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes is already preparing for the next transfer window.
Ronald Hernandez, inset, Matty Kennedy, Dylan McGeouch and Mark Kennedy were the four new additions to the Dons squad during the January window.
McInnes had a busy summer last year finding replacements for several first team players who left under freedom of contract, including captain Graeme Shinnie and winger Gary Mackay-Steven.
Scottish football is currently suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak until at least April 30 and Uefa and its members have yet to decide what, if any, impact the shutdown could have on the summer transfer window.
But, whenever the window opens, McInnes is glad he is not staring at the prospect of making wholesale changes again.
He said: “We have wanted to try to avoid what has happened over the last couple of seasons when we have had far too many players out of contract. I kept getting asked about whether there was progress with this player or that player.
“When you get to this stage of the season if you don’t have a player signed up then you normally lose them. For the first time in a long time we have got the majority of the squad signed up.
“That gives us less work to do but we still have to do good work to improve this squad. The consistency of this squad is not good enough and we need to try to search for those improvements.
“In terms of numbers, we won’t be doing anything like the same amount of numbers.”
The Dons spent a significant six-figure fee to bring Venezuela international Hernandez to Pittodrie from Norwegian side Stabaek but McInnes says he will look to avoid spending money on players when possible.
He said: “We look firstly at the out of contract list. That is always the first port of call.
“We would still like to be in the position if we feel the right one is available we can utilise the added resource on the recruitment side.
“If there are players out there that we feel we have to pay a fee for then we will put that forward to see whether we can do that or not. It will be more looking at the out of contract list than bringing four or five players in that we need to spend money on.”