LOWE: SKIPPER HAS BEEN A SHINNIE STAR
BY FRANK GILFEATHER GRAEME SHINNIE might struggle to push his way into Scotland’s starting line-up – but for Max Lowe the Aberdeen skipper is a star on and off the pitch.
Lowe admits he’s had his eyes opened by the high standard north of the border and also insists team-mate Scott McKenna could reach the top in English football.
The on-loan Derby left-back was Man of the Match in the 4-1 home thrashing of St Mirren at the weekend and scored his first goal to cap an eye-catching display.
It was a journey into the unknown for Lowe when Derek McInnes reached an agreement with Rams boss Frank Lampard to take the youngster north.
Now the talk around Pride Park is if he continues to show the kind of form he displayed against the Buddies, Lowe could be a real contender for a firstteam spot when he returns to Derby in the new year.
The 21-year-old insists the welcome from his new team-mates has been key in helping him settle.
Lowe said: “Shinnie took me under his wing and gave me the back-stories of the boys so now I feel I know them all really well.
“There are invitations to go out, have dinner or whatever after training.
“I was really nervous when I signed, knowing I was to train on Thursday and play on the Saturday against Kilmarnock.
“I didn’t know many of the lads. I didn’t know what their type of game was but after the first week I got to grips with it.
“I can see why the fans love Shinnie. He doesn’t just deliver on match-day, he does it in training as well. You know if he’s chasing down on you that you’re going to get a kick.
“He’s a top captain and a top player at the highest level. It’s no surprise he’s involved in the Scotland set-up.
“He has been great in every game I’ve been involved in – and McKenna has been fantastic since coming back from injury.”
Shinnie may have to settle for a place on the Scotland bench for the Nations’ League qualifier in Israel tomorrow night.
But McKenna, now over the controversy around his two-match domestic ban for his challenge on Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard, is sure to be in Alex McLeish’s starting line-up.
And Lowe, the same age as McKenna, added: “He’s still young but plays like an experienced performer.
“From what I’ve seen he can go to the top level, the very top. He’s a great lad. He’s humble so hopefully he can stay at it and we’ll see what happens.”