GALLAGHER REMAINS ON LOAN WITH CLUBS UNITED OVER DEAL

JON GALLAGHER will stay at Aberdeen for the rest of the season.

The versatile midfielder’s loan from Atlanta United is up next month but the MLS side are about to extend that agreement.

It will be the first major move between the clubs since Atlanta’s owners invested in Aberdeen and their partnership was announced.

Atlanta president Darren Eales, voted on to the Aberdeen board on Monday, said: “We want to get the deal tied up and it makes sense to continue it to the end of the season.

“It is really interesting as you get a real sense of what a club is about when a player goes on loan.

“He was given an opportunity to get the playing time and he has made the most of it.

“All credit to Aberdeen, the club and the fans, for welcoming him. It is an example of something that has worked really well for ourselves and for Aberdeen.”

Eales has been in Scotland this week heading up an Atlanta delegation looking at ways where both clubs can improve.

The former Spurs director of football administration said: “We are sharing best practices and for the Atlanta side it has been a great opportunity to visit a club with a rich history.

“It was fantastic walking around Pittodrie. We’re three years old as a club and we feel as if we are having success and doing things right but we don’t have a history. You see it, hear it and feel it here.”

Both teams are sharing scouting information and Eales added: “If there are pathway opportunities there we’ll look to explore them and identify opportunities which go both ways as the relationship grows.”