Joe Lewis has proven he can handle the responsibility of captaining Aberdeen, according to Dons goalkeeping coach Gordon Marshall.
Lewis was named Aberdeen captain following Graeme Shinnie’s departure to Derby County last summer.
The goalkeeper was chosen to wear the armband ahead of the likes of Scott McKenna and Andrew Considine, who were among the other possible candidates to succeed Shinnie.
While some managers prefer an outfielder for captaincy duties, Marshall feels Lewis has taken the added responsibility in his stride.
He said: “He has settled into the captaincy role which is a very difficult role to take on.
“He seems to have enjoyed it and now it is a case of stepping up again and keeping that consistency going along with the four defenders in front of him.
“Hopefully we can bring the numbers of goals we conceded (last season) down but I was happy with the level of consistency he showed.
“I play golf with Joe and he is like a celebrity when you go into the clubhouse afterwards with the amount of people who want a photograph.
“In Aberdeen, with having the one team, if somebody who is 6ft 7in is walking down the street they can’t exactly hide.
“He is an absolute gentleman and always makes time for everybody.
“That is maybe something he needs to address this time as, because he is such a liked guy, he has been accepting everything and doing everything and ending up all over the place.
“He maybe needs to delegate a bit more this year but he is a tremendous captain for the club and for Aberdeen as a city.
“There has been so much expected of him since he came to the club. He is on a long contract and that can be difficult for some individuals but Joe just seems to be growing and growing.
“He is a very calm person around the dressing room, he has a wicked sense of humour and he gets a lot of respect for how he goes about his work and how he is as an ambassador for the club.”
Former Celtic, Kilmarnock and Motherwell stopper Marshall, who joined the Dons five years ago, was pleased to see Tomas Cerny handed a one-year extension.
The 35-year-old joined the Dons in the summer of 2018 but has made only two appearances.
Marshall said: “He has deserved his extension. It gives him some peace of mind with the way things are just now.
“He is somebody who pushes Joe in training and is a great example for the younger ones. I am pleased for him and it has been done at such a difficult time.
“The standards Tomas sets at training pushes Joe. It would be very easy for Joe to sit back a wee bit but Tomas is the type of goalkeeper at training that will show you up if you aren’t doing your work.
“The chemistry is right. He knows that Joe is the number one goalkeeper and it is a matter of him playing his part.”