Mcinnes insists Dons will get money back if Hernandez sold
Aberdeen have held their latest agm as chairman Dave Cormack prepares to celebrate the first anniversar y of taking over the club from Stewart Milne, who was re-elected to the Pittodrie club’s board in the formal par t of a meeting conducted on Zo om for the first time.
Manager Derek Mcinnes was asked specifically about Ronny Hernandez, the Venezuelan right-back signed in Januar y for a reputed £800,000 from Stabaek and who has made only four appearances since.
The Dons boss was sympathetic about the player’s plight, blaming a change of playing system. He stressed the Covid-19 restrictions have made it challenging for the player to settle in. Hernandez, 23, has not seen his family, including his wife and baby daughter, for nearly a year.
MC Inn es said :“We’ re disappointed it hasn’ t always worked out. There were other interested parties at the time, and there still are. And we’re confident that any investment by the club on this deal will be recouped.
“In January, there may be an opportunity to do that. I think we have to be fair to the boy, and if there is an opportunity, and we think there will be, to recoup the money invested then that money will come back. There’s not a club out there or a manager out there who gets every part of their recruitment right, but we were confident enough to do this deal.”
Meanwhile, commercial director Rob Wicks took a question from a shareholder about the long-planned new stadium and revealed that the project has been “significantly impacted by Covid-19” and is on “the back burner for now”.
He also underlined the cost involved in bringing Pittodrie up to the required standard if Aberdeen qualify for the group stage of the Europa League or the new Conference League tournament.
“If we were to qualify for the Europa League or the Conference group stages, we would not only have to seek special dispensation for Pittodrie itself, we would have to upgrade in a number of areas,” said Wicks.
“We would probably have to spend in excess of £250,000 just on the floodlights to bring them up to group stage specification.”