GOODWIN: STEWART IS A BORN LEADER

A natural leader who commands respect and leads by example – Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin insists Anthony Stewart ticks all the boxes for club captain.

Summer signing Stewart has been handed the captain’s armband for the new season.

The 29-year-old centre-back replaces keeper Joe Lewis as skipper.

Stewart will lead out the Dons in the season opener against Peterhead in the Premier Sports Cup tomorrow.

Midfielder Ross McCrorie has been named vice-captain.

Goodwin insists Stewart will relish the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of legends like Willie Miller, Alex McLeish, Martin Buchan and Stewart McKimmie in captaining the club.

Meanwhile, Goodwin also confirmed Albanian international midfielder Ylber Ramadani is set to finally arrive in Aberdeen tomorrow.

Signed more than a month ago, Ramadani’s arrival has been delayed by red tape during the visa process.

Goodwin said: “Anthony is the perfect character for me and ticks all the leadership boxes. He is naturally a leader anyway, has a presence in the dressing room and the boys respect him.

“Anthony is also a great age at 29 and has played hundreds of games at a decent level.

“As a manager you want to have that old cliché of five or six leaders out there on the pitch.

“I think we have that within the group.

“But Anthony was a pretty safe decision for me in terms of who gets that captaincy.

“He is a player who I would expect to play regularly for the team and he leads by example.

“That is all you want in a captain.”

Goodwin added: “I think that he will enjoy the responsibility of wearing the armband and representing this great club.”