Lewis Ferguson is ready for the challenge of competing at the top of the table after swapping Hamilton Accies for Aberdeen.
The 18-year-old was manager Derek McInnes’s first signing of the summer when he joined the Dons on a pre-contract in May.
The teenager had already braced himself for an approach after finding out about Aberdeen’s interest in him before the Dons boss got in touch.
He said: “I knew about Aberdeen’s interest at the end of last season.
“One of my pals actually sent me a screen shot of the story on Twitter and then the gaffer phoned me.
“He told me he was interested and once I heard that I wanted to come, this is a massive club and it’s a big challenge coming here.”
A tribunal will determine the fee the Dons must pay Accies for Ferguson after the two clubs failed to agree on a figure but the player, son of former Rangers midfielder Derek, is looking forward to his new stage of his career at Pittodrie.
Ferguson said: “I spoke to my dad about it, he helps me a lot so gave me good advice and said it was a great move for me.
“He encouraged me to take this opportunity.
“It will be a big challenge to get into the team because there are a lot of great players here so I will just have to get my head down and work hard.”
Ferguson and his team-mates are spending this week in Cork as they prepare for their Europa League second qualifying round tie against English Premier League side Burnley next month and the excitement is already building among the squad.
The midfielder said: “I have settled in well, the boys have been good with me and have made me feel welcome.
“We have been doing a lot of running, it is hot over in Ireland but hopefully we can get a good pre-season under our belts and be flying when the season starts.”
“It’s exciting to have a game against a team like Burnley coming up, they are a good team from probably the best team in the world.
“Everyone is looking forward to it.”
While Ferguson gets to know his new team-mates in Ireland Dons boss McInnes insists he is taking no notice of what other clubs are doing as he focuses on ensuring his side is ready for the challenge of remaining one of the leading clubs in Scotland.
The Dons have finished second for four seasons running and McInnes is not concerned by the influx of new talent at third-placed Rangers.
He said: “I can’t be hung up or obsessed with what other clubs are doing. We’ve just got to expect other teams to improve, but also expect that of ourselves to improve.
“There’s room for improvement for us in the season ahead, but we just want to try to be as competitive we can again, regardless of what others are doing.”
