Staying in Scotland has put McLean on the map
LIKE so many promising Scottish league players, Kenny McLean approached a career crossroads at a young age with more than one option offering a route south to multiply his wages several times over.
A pause for thought was applied each time, McLean cognisant of the litany of similar talent who drove straight ahead to claim the offer only to make the return trip with a fail next to their name.
There are relatively alluring riches available in League One these days, the Championship even more so. Fleetwood Town offered St Mirren a £150,000 fee for McLean in January 2015 and Ipswich, Huddersfield and Blackburn were circling.
As he prepared for the Betfred Cup Final, the 24-year-old was able to reflect on a shrewd decision made to stall on what is a long-held ambition to play in English football.
Competing for major trophies with Derek McInnes and his progressive Pittodrie squad has satisfied McLean’s desire to achieve. Regular club football and a Scotland cap earned earlier this year justified his choice to take the road north at the midway point of the 2014/15 season.
He would rather be at a capacity Hampden than Highbury Stadium, Lancashire. When asked if options in the south were more lucrative, McLean said: ‘I think you can say that. Of course, interest from England is going to turn your head a bit.
‘You get a lot of young Scottish boys going down there, it’s great for them to learn their trade. For me, England was very tempting. Any young player wants to get as much out of their career as they can and I’m no different.
‘But I had a long think about it and, for me, I thought it was better to come here. A lot go down south and don’t play. More often now you see young boys, maybe aged 18 or 19, who get the profile and earn the move. Then you don’t hear about them again for two or three years or more.
‘It can be years before they are seen to do anything. They drift out of sight and out of mind. I suppose it’s about what suits you and what you’re comfortable with. But, here, the manager said I’d be part of his plans. That was good to hear and it has proven to be a good move.
‘Coming here enhanced my profile. I had a good year, got in the Scotland squad. And, having spoken to the manager and heard what he wants for this club and how he wants us to be challenging every year for silverware and at the top end of the league, that was always an incentive for me. To win as much in your career as possible is surely what you want.
‘The fact the club were prepared to pay a transfer fee for me made it an even easier decision. Knowing that the manager wanted me that much and was willing to put his trust in me was massive.’
Few at Aberdeen go into the final in better form than McLean, who was fielded in an attacking role when Celtic won 1-0 at Pittodrie a month ago. His two goals last Saturday helped the Dons defeat Inverness for the first time in five meetings in a game where minds might have otherwise strayed dangerously ahead to the Hampden date.
‘The performances have been better and more like I know they can be in the last month or so,’ said McLean. ‘I had a few games where maybe I wasn’t performing to the standard I know I can. But now I feel good, the team is winning which always helps.
‘And getting a couple of goals as you head into a final is going to help confidence. That’s the same throughout this team.’