HAYES RETURNS TO DONS
Hayes defers Dons wages for the year
JONNY HAYES was so desperate to rejoin Aberdeen he has deferred his wages for the year.
Dons boss Derek McInnes has confirmed the Irishman will not pick up a penny until 2021 to help
the club get through their Covid-19 cash crisis, as team-mates have already taken deferrals and have now been asked to take appearance and bonus cuts.
McInnes has praised the former Celtic star for the sacrifice he has made to push through a second stint at Aberdeen, where he has signed a two-year deal.
McInnes said: “This deal wouldn’t have got done without Jonny making the sacrifice he’s made.
“Footballers get a bad rap at times but what he has done is incredible.
“Both Jonny and his agent deserve a lot of praise for getting it over the line.
“He has deferred his full wages for the whole year.
“It wouldn’t have gone through without that but once we established it could be done then it was plain sailing with him.”
Hayes has revealed he is back because he can land more silverware.
He lifted the League Cup with the Dons in 2014 and is desperate to win even more after his six-trophy haul at Celtic.
The 32-year-old said: “Every time a transfer window opened Aberdeen came up so it has never been far from my mind.
“I went for a run down Queen’s Road on Tuesday morning and when I was finished I had a text from a friend abroad saying I had been spotted.
“I’ve always kept in touch with Aberdeen fans. Even at my local golf course one of the ladies there is an Aberdeen fan and was asking me about coming back.
“Whatever it might be, golf, football or whatever, I don’t like losing and it’s a good trait to have. The manager knows that.
“If I can come back here and win some medals it would be ideal.
“The club deserves it. There have been a few near misses in finals so it would be nice to come back and win some trophies.”
Chairman Dave Cormack has already confirmed that Aberdeen are looking at a £10million loss, although he has been able to make up half of it. McInnes admitted if Hayes hadn’t been so flexible the deal would not have happened. The Dons boss said: “With the impact of what’s happened we wouldn’t have been able to do anything because of the huge financial hole we have.
“We are well aware of the restraints we are under.
“Jonny had opportunities to go elsewhere and try something new but I know how much he likes it here and he wanted to come back.
“The financial pressure we are under was always going to make this signing tougher.
“I have kept in touch with Jonny regularly since he left the club.
“He was very influential the first time round for me and I still see the same speed and the same ability there.
“Hopefully the experience he’s had at Celtic, winning trophies, will have made him an even better player.”
McInnes is convinced Hayes will be a brilliant signing, even in the twilight of his career. He added: “He’s the kind of person you want at your club and I think he’s a brilliant signing for us.
“There is always an element of risk when you sign players in their 30s but it’s minimised by the fact we know him.
“We have seen how influential he can be, the speed he brought to his performances last season.
“So it’s a fantastic bit of business for us.
“We won’t have the ability to make a lot of signings this summer but when someone of Jonny’s ability and quality comes along we had to try.”