Graeme Shinnie wants to end his Caley Thistle career on a high – even if it means pipping his new employers Aberdeen to second place in the Scottish Premiership.
The 23-year-old defender has signed a pre-contract agreement to move to Pittodrie in the summer, ending his long association with the Highlanders.
Shinnie is happy to have ended the speculation about his future but insists he is prepared to risk upsetting the Dons if they stand between Caley Jags and securing a place in Europe for the first time in the club’s history.
He said: “My focus is not on Aberdeen, although I have made my decision on where I’m going. My focus is on what we are doing here. I have not even had a thought about playing for Aberdeen. I can’t have that in my mind. I’m a Caley player, so my sole focus is on doing well here.
“It is a relief to get it sorted but this club is part of my blood. I’ve been here seven years, so I would never just toss Inverness aside. I will always give 100%.”
Aberdonian Shinnie wants to sign off on his time in the Highlands by helping Caley Jags qualify for Europe – even if it ultimately costs him the chance to play in Europe with the Dons next season.
He said: “I want us to finish as high as possible. We’ve missed out on Europe the last couple of years and that’s been frustrating, so to sign off helping give this club European football l would be more than happy.
“There’s still plenty to achieve. This is one of the strongest positions this club has been in. In the last couple of years we’ve taken the foot off the gas a wee bit at this point in the seasonso it’s my job to keep the boys focused and keep them ticking over and having a real hunger to go and do well.”
When asked how he would feel if Inverness were to play Aberdeen in the final game of the season with a place in Europe at stake, Shinnie added: “It won’t affect me at all. I’m not an Aberdeen player. My main focus is to beat them and outplay them and do everything I do normally and make sure the team is up for the game. If it comes down to that we’ll look to go and beat them.”