In the heat of Portugal frozen out winger Vicente Besuijen took the first steps to ending 18 months of Aberdeen agony.
Dutch winger Besuijen had fallen out of favour under previous managers Barry Robson and Jim Goodwin.
Secured on a £430,000 transfer from ADO Den Haag at the turn of 2022, the winger has not played for the Dons since January 2023.
That final appearance was in the humiliating Scottish Cup loss to minnows Darvel.
Since then Besuijen has spent loan spells in the Netherlands with FC Emmen and Excelsior Rotterdam.
It seems like a monumental waste of money by Aberdeen to invest a significant six figure fee in Besuijen only to not play him for 18 months.
However Besuijen can finally make that investment pay off if he grabs the opportunity to reignite his Aberdeen career under manager Jimmy Thelin.
Fired-up, revitalised and focused
The Swede has confirmed there is a clean slate for every player during pre-season which offers a significant lifeline for Besuijen.
And from what I witnessed during training sessions at the Dons’ training camp in Portugal the 24-year-old is grabbing that opportunity.
Besuijen looked fired-up, revitalised, focused and determined to prove a point.
In the training drills he, like all the Dons players, bust a gut in the stifling heat as the mercury crept above 30C.
With no shade on the training pitch at the Amendoeira Golf Resort, Silves the Reds trained in gruelling conditions.
Yet in the session-ending bounce games Besuijen was still vibrant and full of running and creativity.
Operating primarily on the left-wing in the short 20 minute bounce matches I witnessed Besuijen run at pace down the flank.
He took on the full-back and whipped in dangerous crosses into the penalty area.
Besuijen also mixed it up by cutting inside and shooting or playing rapid one-twos on the run in an attempt to break the defensive line.
I was impressed not only with Besuijen’s undoubted skill but also his application and work rate in punishing heat.
Storming into Jimmy Thelin’s plans
Besuijen has been offered a door back into Pittodrie – and he is clearly determined to take his chance and storm into Thelin’s first team.
Thelin’s tactics at Elfsborg utilised lightning fast, creative wingers who can deliver a dangerous cross into the penalty area and also provide a goal threat.
A winger who can turn defence into a damaging attack on the counter.
Besuijen ticks those boxes.
The frustrating aspect for Besuijen must be that he also ticked those boxes 18 months ago when he disappeared from the first team picture.
When signed in January 2022 by former boss Stephen Glass the winger initially impressed.
He also shone in the opening months of Goodwin’s first full season in charge, scoring  seven goals and pitched in with three assists from July to October 2022.
However, the winger was eventually frozen out by Goodwin and then also by his replacement Robson.
Besuijen’s failure to get a game last season under Robson was particularly baffling as a struggling Aberdeen side lacked real width.
Besuijen can make Aberdeen impact
That was finally addressed when interim manager Neil Warnock signed Junior Hoilett on a short-term deal.
Meanwhile Besuijen was hitting the heights in the Netherlands.
He finished his loan spell at FC Emmen by scoring in eight of the final nine games of the season.
He was key to Emmen’s run to the semi-finals of the promotion play-offs, which they lost to NAC Breda.
On the basis of what I witnessed in Portugal the winger looks determined to bring that form to Aberdeen.
He is contracted to the Dons until summer 2026 and Thelin could be the manager to finally see Besuijen reach his potential – at Pittodrie and not elsewhere.
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