Aberdeen boss Barry Robson insists he is ready to play the waiting game for £500,000 signing Pape Gueye to make a first-team impact.
Striker Gueye has started only one match since a big money transfer from Belgian side KV Kortrijk last summer.
That solitary start was in the 2-2 Europa Conference League draw away to HJK Helsinki – with Gueye substituted off at half-time.
The 24-year-old has not featured for the Dons since the Group G clash in Finland on November 30.
Gueye has only 111 minutes of first team action since moving to Pittodrie on a three-year contract.
Robson insists Gueye’s limited game time is due to a number of factors including lack of pre-season at KV Kortrijk, arriving at Pittodrie late in the window and experiencing a new culture.
The Dons boss says former Senegal U20 international Gueye is determined to make his mark at Pittodrie.
He points to the slow start last season by striker Duk following his transfer from Benfica.
Cape Verde international Duk would go on to net 18 goals in his debut Dons campaign.
Robson said: “It has been so difficult for Pape since he came here.
“He hasn’t played a lot of games.
“Pape didn’t have a pre-season and he came in late in the window.
“Then we had all those games as well.
“He is also in a new culture.
“Pape is a good kid and is keen to do well.
“He is one we will need to take our time with, a bit like Ester (Sokler).
“You can now see how he (Sokler) is performing.”
Sokler proves patience pays off
Robson took his time with striker Sokler who was signed in a £300,000 deal from Slovenian top-flight club NK Radomlje last summer.
Aberdeen held off competition from Belgium, Austria and Slovenia to sign Sokler on a three-year deal.
Sokler, 24, made an explosive debut when scoring four goals on his debut in a 9-0 pre-season friendly win against Highland League Turriff United in July.
However the Slovenian striker had to wait for his first Aberdeen start.
After 16 appearances off the bench, Sokler was finally pitched in for his first competitive start for the Dons in the 1-1 draw with Rangers on November 26.
Sokler scored in the 2-0 win against German Bundesliga giants Eintracht Frankfurt at Pittodrie last month.
He was rewarded with a starting slot in the 1-0 Viaplay Cup final loss to Rangers.
Robson said: “It takes time.
“You can see now how Ester is performing.
“Duk also took a bit of time to get going.
“We have some good players in here like Pape and Ester who needed time to settle in.
“Ester is starting to fly now and looks really sharp and quick.
“He looks aggressive and plays on the shoulder.
“We have not seen the best of some of them yet, that is still to come.”
Gueye’s track record of scoring
Gueye, Sokler and to a lesser extent Duk have all experienced limited game time due to the prolific scoring form of Bojan Miovski.
North Macedonian international Miovski has netted 15 goals this season.
Celtic and English Championship Southampton are tracking Miovski with the view to a potential bid.
Miovski is also on the radar of clubs in Germany, Italy and Spain.
Robson hopes Gueye can make an impact in the second half of the season following the Premiership winter shutdown.
Gueye has a track record of scoring.
He netted 25 goals in 61 matches for Norwegian side Aalesunds and was one of the hottest prospects in Scandinavian football.
Gueye was on the radar of Turkish giants Galatasaray and teams in France but opted to switch from Aalesunds for KV Kortrijk in January 2020.
He scored 14 goals in 78 games for KV Kortrijk in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League, with six assists.
English Championship Millwall reportedly had a £1.5million bid for Gueye rejected in January 2022.
Watford, also of the English second tier, were also understood to be tracking the striker.
During the 2023 summer transfer window Gueye made it clear to KV Kortrijk that he wanted to transfer to Aberdeen.
However the Belgian top flight outfit stalled on the deal for several weeks.
During that period Gueye trained by himself and was not involved in first-team matches.
A deal was eventually done two days before the summer transfer window ended.
Robson said: “It takes time but Pape will be alright.”
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