McINNES IS MOULDING A TEAM OF ENTERTAINERS WITH MACKAY-STEVEN AS THE STAR OF THE SHOW

SIMON DONNELLY believes Aberdeen are about to restore one of Scottish football’s great entertainers to centre-stage. The transfer of Gary Mackay-Steven from Celtic is but one part of an extensive summer of recruitment from Derek McInnes, and Donnelly believes it could be the deal that truly electrifies Pittodrie. Donnelly worked with Mackay-Steven (left) for two years at Dundee United where the winger showcased a dazzling range of skills that made for a most entertaining YouTube compendium.

Some time after his move to Parkhead, the 26-year-old lost his way but Donnelly believes he will thrive at his new club.

He said: ‘Gary is a huge talent. I really thought he would go to Celtic and shine. Stuart Armstrong has done that but we thought the three of them — Gary, Stuart and Nadir Ciftci — would all go there and make their mark.

‘Stuart hit the ground running and he and Gary were probably Celtic’s best players against Inter Milan (in the Europa League tie).

‘But, overall, Gary has not had enough game time and he now needs to go and play.

‘He is the sort of player fans want to see and I think it’s great for Scottish football that he’s staying.

‘GMS at the top of his game brings the sort of excitement that fans love to see. He can do things that entertain the crowds and we’ve not seen enough of that at Celtic.

‘I think Aberdeen looks a good fit for him, too. They have done well over the past few seasons and Derek has built a team that likes to attack.’