Ross McCrorie insists he can handle the weight of expectation after the making the move from Rangers to Aberdeen.
The midfielder will spend this season on loan at Pittodrie with the move becoming permanent next summer.
Gers fans have expressed their dismay at seeing a talented member of their youth academy leave but McCrorie, who has signed a deal to keep him at the Dons until the summer of 2024, insists he is ready for the challenge of holding down a regular place in Derek McInnes’s side.
He said: “I feel at the age I am at I just want to be playing regular first team football, that is why I told Rangers that I wanted to leave.
“It’s for the good of my career that I had to leave, to develop as a player and I feel as if Aberdeen is the right place for me to go on and improve myself as a player and as a person.
“I have been used to playing under the pressure and expectations of supporters and I think I thrive on it.
“The expectation is really high at Aberdeen, you are expected to be up there every year and challenging. I want to help the team out as best as I can and win a few trophies on the way.
“I wanted to come up to Aberdeen and I’m really happy that I will join on a permanent deal after this season.
“It’s a massive club and I’m really happy to be here. There is a lot of history around the club with its success in European football.”
Hibernian had seemed McCrorie’s likely destination after making two bids for the player before Aberdeen moved in for the midfielder at the weekend.
The Scotland under-21 international insists the choice was an easy on once he heard of the Dons’ interest.
He said: “I heard of Aberdeen’s interest a couple of days ago. Aberdeen is a massive club, so I was flattered when I heard the club was interested in me.
“I spoke to the gaffer and when he explained about the ambition here, that made it a no brainer.
“Everything that the gaffer said was right for me and I felt immediately as if this was the place for me to come and develop as a player and to move my game on.
“I’ve played against Aberdeen in the past and what I liked about the gaffer is that he knew exactly how I played. He spoke to me about a couple of positions that I can play but we’ll keep them behind closed doors for now.
“He didn’t need to sell me on the club.”
