Aberdeen hope to finally have Ylber Ramadani on board this week after further unexpected visa issues prevented him from joining his new team-mates in Spain.
The week-long training camp in Spain passed with manager Jim Goodwin’s hopes of having Ramadani on board for at least a few days of the trip scuppered by red tape.
The wait for Ramadani, Goodwin’s first signing for the club, continue,s but the Dons boss is hopeful the midfielder’s wait to join up with his new team-mates will soon be over.
He told RedTV: “Ylber Ramadani’s visa has been approved, but getting his hands on his visa and passport has been extremely lengthy and we hadn’t anticipated that to be honest.
“We are confident we’ll get Ramadani to Aberdeen at the early part of the week so he can play a part in the friendly (at Brechin) in midweek.
“We can advise players, but they are not getting used to being with their team-mates when they are on their own and that’s the bit we will have to get him caught up on quickly.
“We know the type of player we’re getting. He’s a naturally fit boy and is quite similar to Ross McCrorie in many ways.
“He has got bundles of energy, takes pride in himself and technically he is a very good player.”
Goodwin hopeful Miovski will not face similar visa issues
Bojan Miovski, who was training in Spain, did not join his new team-mates in returning to Aberdeen as he is waiting on his visa to be granted.
Goodwin said: “I’ve not been in this situation very often in the past of having to apply for visas. It has been very frustrating.
“We would love Bojan to be on the plane back to Aberdeen and available for Brechin, but he has to go back home.
“We hope Bojan Miovski doesn’t go through anything similar (to Ramadani).
“He’s a really good character. He’s only been here a few days, but you can see he is already starting to feel comfortable around players and the staff.
“He looks really sharp and he is banging in goals for fun. He has great movement and a great touch. For someone so young has great awareness of space and link-up.”
Training camp declared a success – with Jack Milne throwing ‘spanner in the works’ for new season
The Dons boss is thrilled with the work done by his players in their training camp in Spain.
New players have settled quickly while the members of the youth team who joined the first team squad have also caught the eye of the manager.
Goodwin said: “The new guys have been great. Jayden Richardson, Anthony Stewart, Liam Scales, they’ve all bonded really well, while Kelle Roos has worked great with Craig Samson, Joe Lewis and Tom Ritchie.
“Some of the young ones have really stepped up as well.
“We brought four or five to bulk up the squad to give us the numbers we require and I have to say young Jack Milne has really stood out and Mason Hancock as well deserves a mention.
“It’s thrown a few spanners in the work for the season to come, which is a real positive from our point of view.
“It’s all about team bonding, team spirit, togetherness; all that buzzwords people talk about.
“The guys we’ve brought in are good types, great manners, great professionals, who want to be part of a successful team.
“You’ll see that when Ramadani comes in as well. He’ll add personality and quality to the group.”
Goodwin keen to return to La Finca next year
The Aberdeen boss is so pleased with the training camp at La Finca, he has told director of football Steven Gunn he is keen on returning to the base next summer.
He said: “No doubt they will then inundated with people requesting bookings, but I would come back to La Finca in a heartbeat next year.
“I’ve already had a discussion with Steven Gunn about it. What’s the point in trying somewhere else you don’t know?
“We’ve had the run of the place all week and things players are always concerned about are the food, the bedrooms and training pitches. Those three boxes have been ticked. Added to that we have a beautiful golf course for downtime and the people couldn’t be any more hospitable.
“They’ve bent over backwards to ensure we have everything we need.
“It’s been a brilliant camp, it really has, from the travel to the facilities to the pitch – everything has been perfect.”
