Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin insists teenage star Fletcher Boyd will get a chance to shine – when the time is right.
The 16-year-old made a sensational breakthrough at the tail end of last season when netting on his debut.
Aberdonian Boyd became the youngest scorer in the club’s history when coming off the bench to score in a 4-0 win at Hibs on May 12.
The youth academy graduate followed that by netting an impressive goal in the next game just three days later, a 5-1 win against Livingston at Pittodrie.
Thelin made securing the 16-year-old on a new contract one of his main priorities when arriving at Pittodrie last summer.
Amidst interest in the teen from a number of big English clubs, Thelin moved quickly to tie down Boyd to a long-term contract until the summer of 2027.
It is the longest contract permitted given Boyd is under 18.
However, the highly rated teenager has yet to feature in the Premiership this season under Thelin.
‘Really, really good player’
Boyd came off the bench in League Cup group stage wins against Queen of the South and East Kilbride in July but has had no game time since.
Boyd has been an unused substitute in recent Premiership matches.
Thelin rates Scotland under-17 international Boyd as a “really, really good player” and insists the teen is impressing during training sessions.
However the Swede says pitching the attacking midfielder in for game time during a 12 game winless collapse was not the right time for his development.
Aberdeen ended their damaging winless slump when beating League Two Elgin City 3-0 away in the Scottish Cup fourth round on Saturday.
Thelin insists Boyd will get the time his quality deserves, but he must adapt to the intensity of the Premiership.
He said: “Fletcher is doing really well so let’s see what happens in the future.
“Recently the games didn’t really go the way we wanted so the space was not really there for him inside the matches.
“However, when Fletcher is playing with us in the training sessions he has some really good qualities.
“Then he has a journey to make to cope with the intensity.
“But when he has time on the ball Fletcher is a really, really good player.
“Then we just make the whole picture for Fletcher which is one more step and giving him the time he deserves.”
Signing a striker a window priority for Thelin
Aberdeen teenage attacker Alfie Bavidge is also also highly rated and currently impressing on loan at Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
The 18-year-old spent the first half of the season on loan at Championship Ayr United.
He then switched to League One Inverness this month.
Meanwhile, Aberdeen boss Thelin and his recruitment team aim to bolster the attack with the signing of a striker in the January transfer window.
Aberdeen’s attack has lacked a cutting edge during a concerning collapse in Premiership form.
The Dons have secured only four points from the last 36.
Despite the crash in league form Thelin insists his belief in his squad has not been eroded.
And he stressed it is still early in a three-year plan to bring sustained success to the club.
Thelin said: “I still believe in the squad and everyone has their role to play.
“It is one thing if you have worked together a season or one-and-a-half seasons.
“But we are still in the first six months.
“It is still very early in the process so we have to find that rhythm of the team.
“Then when you get a little bit further with principles of the game in one way it doesn’t matter who is playing because everyone knows our identity.
“If you have been working longer together for a time everybody knows the principles really, really clearly
“You have to have a clear DNA and do it when you play football.
“Because then if you think too much, the quality also drops.
“So the pass sometimes is not good enough because you’re still in the thinking process inside the game.
“So that’s why we have to keep the belief in the long term.”
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