Aberdeen defender Ronald Hernandez is set to bring his disappointing year in Scottish football to a close by joining MLS side Atlanta United.
The Dons have allowed the defender, who joined in an £800,000 move from Stabaek in January, to return to Venezuela to be with his family and it has been reported in South America Hernandez is set to join Atlanta when the transfer window opens after agreeing a four-year deal with the Dons’ strategic partners.
Dons boss Derek McInnes hinted to shareholders at the club’s annual meeting earlier this month the club would try to help Hernandez find a new club in January but has refused to comment on the reports.
He said: “We allowed Ronald to go home after the Kilmarnock game. We’re sympathetic to the fact he had only seen his family one day while he was on international duty in a calendar year.
“We made arrangements to try to get him home and it proved a real challenge for us as flights were being cancelled left, right and centre.
“He was due to fly home from Edinburgh on the Monday after the Kilmarnock game. It’s such an important thing for him to be home.
Can’t believe we’re together again🥺😍🙏🏼❤️ pic.twitter.com/nBHj0lxaiK
— Ronald Hernández (@RonaldH_22) December 28, 2020
“I spoke to him a few weeks ago and said that was our intention despite the busy fixtures we had as we felt a duty of care to do the right thing by him and it meant a lot to him that we acknowledged how long he had been away.
“He didn’t quite make it back for Christmas, but it wasn’t through any fault of ours. It was due to borders being shut but the club went above and beyond to make it happen.
“He’ll be there for a couple of weeks and the intention is to bring him back in January.”
While Hernandez is back in his homeland, attacker Scott Wright is nearing a return.
Wright has been out for six weeks following an operation on a double hernia and will not feature at Livingston today (4pm), but could be available for the New Firm fixture against Dundee United at Pittodrie on Saturday.
McInnes said: “He’s got a chance, which is brilliant news for us. He was out on the pitch today, running with the physio stepping up his work, so I think all being well – if Scott has another good day tomorrow with the physios – the intention is for him to join in on full training on Thursday.
“If he trains Thursday and Friday he can be part of our squad.
“It would be a huge boost as we’ve been stretched for numbers, so to be able to bolster those options would be great.
“We don’t know what tomorrow will bring in terms of injuries and suspensions, so anyone who can bolster the numbers for the United game will be great.”