Storm Malik delayed Vicente Besuijen’s Aberdeen debut but boss Stephen Glass is confident the Dutch winger will blow away the fans.
Having signed on from ADO Den Haag the 20-year-old playmaker was set to make his debut against St Johnstone at the weekend.
There was a buzz of anticipation amongst supporters about the winger’s first game.
Particularly as Welsh international attacker Ryan Hedges is set to exit Pittodrie for Blackburn Rovers in a £200,000 transfer.
However the Red Army were denied the opportunity to see Besuijen in action for the first time when the game was postponed due to Storm Malik and safety concerns around the stadium.
It was another delay to the Dutch youth international’s Aberdeen bow.
Besuijen was unavailable for the 1-0 loss at St Mirren on Tuesday as the Dons waited for his visa to be secured.
That came through 48 hours before the St Johnstone clash – only for the game to fall foul of the weather.
Former Roma and Ajax youth star Besuijen will now launch his Aberdeen career away at Ross County on Tuesday.
Glass insists the winger, signed on a four-and-a-half-year deal, will be worth the wait.
He said: “When the fans see Vicente they will see why we were working so hard to get him.
“Aberdeen fans will be pleased with what they see.
“Vicente is a quick player who plays high up the pitch and wants to be a goal threat.
“We believe he is going to make an impact at the top end of the pitch.”
❌ MATCH POSTPONED!
Today’s match against St Johnstone has been postponed due to Storm Malik and safety concerns around the stadium. pic.twitter.com/74nHmNojiO
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) January 29, 2022
Winger’s impressive pedigree
During his time at Italian Serie A Roma Besuijen trained with the first team but did not get game time.
He did however feature regularly in the UEFA Youth League and played against teams such as Chelsea and Atletico Madrid.
The winger has been played at every youth level up to U19 for the Netherlands.
Capped four times at U19 level Besuijen played in the UEFA Euro U19 Championship qualifiers.
At U19 international level he was utilised on the left wing and centre-forward.
Besuijen played wide right and across the middle of the attack for ADO Den Haag, who signed him from Roma in 2020.
Aberdeen win race to land Besuijen
In his first season at ADO Den Haag he featured 30 times in the Dutch top flight, scoring once.
ADO Den Haag were relegated last summer.
Besuijen netted six times with 10 assists in 25 games in the Dutch second tier before completing the switch to Pittodrie.
It is that attacking threat and versatility that made the winger much sought after.
Aberdeen beat off competition from Hibs and a number of European clubs to secure his signature.
Glass said: “Vicente was in demand, there is obviously quite a bit of competition for a player of that level.
“We are delighted we managed to fight off competition to bring him here.
“The club paid a transfer fee to get him, that is how much we feel that he can come and help us
“We had been working on it for quite a bit of time.
“We are delighted the club backed the decision and that he decided to come here.”
Polvara’s Aberdeen debut delayed
Glass recently confirmed the Dons will look to raid the Dutch market in future transfer windows.
Besuijen is the second overseas signing of the January transfer window which closes at midnight on Monday.
Midfielder Dante Polvara arrived on a two-and-a-half-year contract having played with Georgetown University in the United States.
Premiership rivals Hibs were also interested in landing 21-year-old Polvara.
A host of MLS clubs, as well as outfits in Italy and Germany, were also keen on signing the midfielder.
Besuijen’s first Aberdeen game was delayed by the wait for a visa and Storm Malik.
However the Red Army will have to wait even longer to see Polvara’s debut.
The American midfielder posted a picture of himself on social media in a hospital bed with the message ‘Back soon’ with a thumbs-up.
Polvara said ‘it will be a matter of time before I’m back’ from the procedure.
Ready for Dons debut in Dingwall
Besuijen however is ready to start against Ross County on Tuesday night.
The winger started ADO Den Haag’s 5-0 loss at Roda in the Eeerste Divisie (Dutch second tier) just three days before completing a transfer to Aberdeen.
Glass said: “Vicente was clear for the St Johnstone game and we were looking forward to adding him to the group.”
