Midfielder Connor Barron says he will continue to give his all for Aberdeen even though his future at the club remains uncertain.
The 21-year-old could have departed Pittodrie on deadline day with the Dons rejecting a £500,000 bid from Swansea City.
Barron has entered the final few months of his contract and is free to speak to other clubs although he has not ruled out staying with the Dons beyond this season.
And while he is an Aberdeen player he has vowed to do all he can to turn this season into a success.
He said: “It’s out of your hands when it come to transfer windows as you just have to sit there and see what happens.
“It was just the last day of the window that the issue came up and the next day it was closed.
“So as soon as the window shut then the focus is fully right back onto the football.
“I’m an Aberdeen player and I just want to push on to the end of the season and see how far we can go.
“There are no distractions for me at the moment as speculation is just part of the job you have to deal with.
“I’m an Aberdeen boy and I’ll concentrate on giving 100% for the club.
“My agent is still in talks with the club and you have take things like the manager’s situation into account but that’s for a later date.”
Comeback showed character
Barron’s immediate focus is helping a Dons team end a six-game winless run in the Scottish Premiership which has seen them drop to ninth spot in the table.
They almost recorded a remarkable comeback victory against Motherwell on Wednesday when they came from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Bojan Miovski having a late strike ruled out for a marginal offside decision.
Barron accepts his side can’t afford another slow start when Hibernian visit Pittodrie on Saturday afternoon.
He said: “Going three goals down in the first half hour isn’t good enough but we showed great spirit and character to get back into it.
“We haven’t felt that for a long time and to feel that now going into the last 14 games is important.
“I felt we could actually go on to win it as we had the chances to do it but recovering from where we were was brilliant.
“We need to start picking up a lot more points and it gives the group the courage to know we can do that.
“The important thing now is to go on and get the win against Hibs.”
Warnock is bringing a spark
Barron is enjoying working with new Dons boss Neil Warnock and says the charismatic Englishman has helped lift morale around the club following a difficult period which resulted in former manager Barry Robson leaving the club.
Barron said: “It’s been really good and different to what we were used to as every manager has different ways of working.
“As a young player it’s good to learn from these different people and take as much as you can from it.
“He’s been a breath of fresh air and all the boys have really taken to him.
“Everyone understands the instructions that’s been given out so hopefully we can have a positive end to the season.
“Those videos (of Warnock’s legendary teamtalks) were a long time ago but you can still sense around the place that he still has that spark in him.
“He has a real aura around the place and he has been brilliant on the training pitch.
“He tells you what he thinks and that’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned.
“His man management skills are through the roof and everyone knows that from the career he’s had.
“He knows how to work with everyone differently and I’ve really enjoyed working with him so far.”
Finishing the season strongly
The Dons could hand a debut to new signing Junior Hoilett against Hibs as they look to get back on track in the Premiership.
Barron knows it is imperative the club must put a winning run together if they are to give themselves a realistic chance of qualifying for Europe this season.
He added: “There’s no time to lose now in terms of results and we feel this is a game we can win.
“We know it will be tough as Hibs are a good side in a similar position to us at the moment.
“This is our chance to beat them, go above them in the table then really kick on the end of the season.
“We have played good football at times this season and not got results and then done the opposite.
“It’s been a really weird season as we actually did well in Europe but now we have to put what’s happened behind us.
“The important aim is to get back into the European places in the league by the end of the season.”
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