The story so far: Here are Aberdeen’s ins and outs as Derek McInnes prepares for 2019-20

While players lie in the sun and recover from a long, hard season, the management of the top football clubs in Scotland have been busy.

The Scottish football season might have only just ended but the recent Betfred Cup draw is a reminder that the real stuff kicks off again in just over six weeks.

Aberdeen have a bye for the group stages but that doesn’t mean they can rest on their laurels, they have the first leg of their first qualifying round in the Europa League scheduled for July 11.

Let’s take a look at how the Dons are shaping us so far.

Ins

At the head of the list so far is central defender Ash Taylor.

Returning for a second spell with the Dons, Taylor is confident that the fans will see a better player than they did during his first spell.

That’s good news as Taylor was a solid performer and well-liked by supporters during his three-year stint at Pittodrie between 2014 and 2017.

Alongside Taylor, manager Derek McInnes has secured the signing of Welsh international winger Ryan Hedges.

The 23-year-old made 21 appearances for a Barnsley side which secured promotion from League One in 2018-19 and was offered a new deal by the Tykes.

The fact he was willing to turn it down and move north is a good sign for McInnes.

Outs

The loss of captain Graeme Shinnie will be keenly felt at Pittodrie next season.

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The 27-year-old enjoyed four successful seasons with Aberdeen and one of McInnes’ top priorities must be to replace his presence in the middle of the park.

The Dons relied heavily on the loan market last season and a quick glance of who is leaving the club is evidence of this.

Greg Stewart, Dominic Ball, James Wilson and Max Lowe all left the club at the end of their loan deals but there is talk of Lowe and Ball returning next season.

Ball’s deal at Rotherham has expired, while Wilson’s Man Utd contract has also ended. McInnes remains keen to get Lowe back on loan from Derby and had been interested in re-signing Stewart but the forward is reportedly close to a deal with Rangers.

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Greg Halford, as well as youngsters David Craddock, Ryan Harrington and Morgan Brown have also left the club.

Mark Reynolds has also joined Dundee Utd on a permanent deal, after a successful loan spell at Tannadice.

The 32-year-old has made more than 200 appearances for the Dons but struggled for fitness and required knee surgery last summer.