A footballer can change a lot of things, but I’m not convinced they can change their attitude.
Duk’s shock return to the fold at Aberdeen has caught everyone by surprise but I’m not convinced we’ll see the Cape Verde international lead the line for the Dons again.
The final decision on Duk now lies firmly with manager Jimmy Thelin.
If I was in his shoes I know I would be watching the striker very carefully at this point.
The Dons have made a terrific start to the season and it’s only natural the manager will be wondering if there is the potential for Duk to upset the apple cart of what is clearly a harmonious changing room.
The last thing any manager wants is bad vibes in the squad and Thelin will be monitoring this situation very carefully.
I suspect he will also making sure the club works hard behind the scenes to find a new club for Duk in January.
The reason I say that is because of one simple fact – Duk has let a lot of people down and has made it crystal clear he does not want to stay at Aberdeen.
Duk is back at Aberdeen but his Pittodrie purgatory is his own doing
Fair play to Duk for admitting he has got this wrong but it is clear he has gone about trying force a move in completely the wrong way.
I touched on this a few weeks ago but it is hard to ignore the contrast between his actions and those of Bojan Miovski.
One kept his head down, worked hard and was professional throughout. The other did not turn up and thought he could bully the club into getting his own way.
I’ve no doubt Miovski and Thelin had several discussions during the summer, and they worked together to land the striker the move he desired while also ensuring the Dons were suitably compensated.
As a result, Miovski was given an emotional farewell in front of the fans.
Can anyone see a watery-eyed Duk waving goodbye to the Red Shed before he moves on?
I doubt it somehow.
Fans will be sceptical
All Duk can do now is continue to seek forgiveness and work hard now he is back with his team-mates.
But, if he does get a chance to play again, he may find winning over the furious Dons supporters a far more challenging task.
I like to see fans support anybody who puts on the jersey to represent their club but Duk will have a lot of making up to do if he is lucky enough to get back on the pitch.
As Thelin said in the club statement confirming Duk’s return the Dons are a family club. I recall when I signed for the club in 1992, directors would regularly come to the club for lunch and chat with the players.
Fans will focus on the games but a strong bond off the pitch is crucial, and I get the impression Thelin will not risk anything if he fears it will have a negative impact on morale.
Basically, what happens here is wholly down to Duk.
Admitting he was wrong was the first step, but actions have to speak louder than words from here.
Steve Clarke has earned the chance to put things right with Scotland
The statistics make for unpleasant viewing for Steve Clarke, but I believe the Scotland boss has earned some leeway to continue in charge of the national team.
Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat by Portugal means it is just one win in the last 14 games for Scotland and that win was more than a year ago.
It’s a horrific run but even though we lost to Portugal on Sunday and Poland on Thursday I believe there were a lot of positives in both games.
Portugal deserved to win but the manner of the defeat, conceding late to Cristiano Ronaldo, stung. Had we held on it would have been viewed as a terrific battling draw.
The 3-2 loss to Poland was the real kick though. Scotland played some great stuff at times at Hampden, but individual errors cost us dear.
Let’s be honest, you can’t give away two penalties at international level and expect to win games. We really shot ourselves in the foot last week.
Steve knows football is a results business, but I think there’s an element of a hangover after a disappointing Euro finals campaign in Germany in the summer.
But I don’t think we should be entertaining thoughts of changing the manager at this stage.
If leading the country to back-to-back qualification for the last two Euros does not buy you time, then we are really setting a high bar with Scotland given how the last 25 years have gone.
I’m not ready to call time on someone who has demonstrated they have a track record of leading us to major tournaments.
It’s been a long time since we were able to say that.
Get the latest Dons news direct to your phone by joining our Aberdeen FC WhatsApp community.
Conversation