FOF DONS AFTER MOVE BLOCK

LEWIS FERGUSON submitted a transfer request in the summer but has insisted he has and will continue to give 100 per cent as long as he is an Aberdeen player.

The Scotland cap was left frustrated after the Dons kicked out a lowball bid from Watford.

The midfielder was desperate for a crack at the EPL and asked to leave Pittodrie.

The request was turned down and Ferguson returned for pre-season refocused and ready to go for another season at Aberdeen, which also saw him win his first Scotland cap against Denmark.

He said: “It was difficult when there was loads of speculation going on and you don’t quite know where your future lies.

“I just had to come back into training and get my head down. I worked hard over the summer to stay fit and come back in ready to play for Aberdeen. I was fully focused on playing football. I tried to block that out while I was training and playing.

“When you’re away from football it eats away at you a bit and you think a lot more than you should.

“It’s a hard situation when you don’t know where your future lies. I think I coped with it the best I could.”

The 22-year-old has firmly established himself as a Pittodrie favourite but knew there would be a backlash when he asked for the transfer. He said: “I wasn’t too worried. Obviously there are going to be fans out there who aren’t happy with your decision and you want away but that’s football.

“They’re not in the position and don’t understand what you’re going through. It’s a hard one because obviously they love their club.

“When they see someone is possibly going to leave they might turn their back on them but they’ve been great and I’ve had loads of support.

“When I pull on an Aberdeen shirt I’m going to give everything. I don’t think they should expect anything less from me. I’m not the kind of guy to down tools.

“I believe that the way I play and the way I go about my business is giving 100 per cent. That’s never really going to change no matter what the situation is.”

For the moment, the only thing Ferguson wants to move is Aberdeen back up the table. The Dons are eight games without a win with Celtic next up.

He added: “In the main, we’ve been dominating and creating chances in games but we’re not scoring enough. There’s been poor defending and that’s just cost us results.

“We should be higher up the table than we are. We should have produced better performances.

“But hopefully with a bit of hard work we can turn things around.”