The energetic midfielder, keen to return to Pittodrie permanently following his loan spell from English Championship relegated Wigan Athletic, was in good spirits after scoring two of the Don’s goals in their 3-0 win over St Mirren on Wednesday. as they secured third place in the Premiership.
He admitted that while he is not surprised that first-time manager Barry Robson has achieved such a transformation: Aberdeen trailed Hearts by 11 points in a scenery – hadn’t seen his former Pittodrie teammate as a potential boss.
“Did I ever imagine that Baz would be my manager? Probably not,” she said. “However, what I have seen with the youth team and the philosophy that he has created for the club with the youngsters made me confident that he could bring that to the first team.
“I think you can tell by the way he’s trying to play with the transitions and the excitement that he brings, and racing forward, gets the crowd on their feet and makes the place work. We showed that against St Mirren our transitions were good and we broke the rhythm. In that aspect, he knew he could do it.
“The change has been amazing. I thought it would go as well as that? Maybe not, but it’s a testimonial to the manager and staff.”
The diplomatic language surrounding his expected permanent return to Aberdeen in the summer remains. There were issues to be negotiated, terms to be agreed upon, he said, as he reveled in the moments immediately after the victory, aided by Leighton Clarkson’s impressive 25-yard free kick.
READ MORE: Aberdeen 3 St Mirren 0: Barry Robson leads Dons to Europa League
Shinnie’s contribution since moving to northeast Scotland in January he has been a major factor in Aberdeen’s rise up the league table under Robson, and will almost certainly be on Pittodrie’s books soon.
He wants him, Robson wants him, and Wigan, strapped for funds, wants him, as well as a six-figure transfer fee, given he still has another year left on his contract.
Meanwhile, the player who left Aberdeen for Derby County as a free agent in 2019 and then to the Latics in January last year prefers the details to be worked out by others.
“Then we’ll see what happens,” he said. “There are things to deal with, in terms of where I will be.
“That will be dealt with over the summer. Right now, I’m a Wigan player at the end of the loan spell.
“I love it here and I feel at home here. I am captain and I love the club. You can see that with the passion I have for the club, but we’ll wait and see.
“Everything about Wednesday night and the frustration of not being able to play for four weeks because of the suspension, and the magnitude of the game, getting third place and going back to Europe, has been huge for the club. It’s the kind of night you’d expect at a club like Aberdeen and the nights you want. You enjoy them every time.”
St Mirren’s Mark O’Hara admitted that the red card given to team-mate Thierry Small on the half-hour mark for his overzealous challenge on Bojan Miovski caused irreparable damage to Stephen Robinson’s side.
“The timing was always going to make the rest of the game difficult,” he said. “We were deflated, which was disappointing because we went there to get a result.
“It’s been very fine lines and that’s probably the difference. That’s why we’re finishing sixth.
“But it has been the most successful season for the club in a long time. We will remember it, but I fully believe that this team is capable of more and next season we will strive to achieve it and prove it.
“I don’t know the future of enough boys. Some will move on. They have been great servants of the club. Some will be difficult to replace, but the manager and staff have a track record of bringing in the right players. It will be exciting over the summer to see who we bring in.”