There are other matters to address as well as the on-going battle with the SFA and Aberdeen confirmed veteran winger Jonny Hayes has signed a new contract keeping him at the club until the summer of 2024. It means the player's time at Pittodrie will have spanned at least 12 years.

Manager Barry Robson is confident he has several leaders more-than qualified to step up and fill the gap left by the suspended Shinnie in Sunday’s vital game against Rangers. Hayes is undoubtedly one of them. The 35-year-old joined the club in 2012 from Inverness Caledonian Thistle and though he left for a successful three-year stint at Celtic, he returned in the summer of 2020 for a second spell and has now made 322 appearances for the club, scoring 37 goals. Robson believes the versatile Hayes can play on as long as he did – at least. His current manager hung up his boots at the end of the 2015-16 season at the age of 37.

“He [Hayes] still has the best numbers at the football club in terms of his athleticism and he looks after himself really well,” said Robson. “He is a terrific professional. Young players can learn from him. He has a real positive attitude and outlook. He is still performing well. And that is what happens when you look after yourself. I was lucky enough to play until I was 37, nearly 38. And I can see Jonny maybe going past that. So he’s definitely earned it.”

From left, Jonny Hayes, Graeme Shinnie and Leighton Clarkson during an Aberdeen training session at Cormack Park ahead of facing Rangers on Sunday.

Robson stressed it was an easy decision to extend the contract of someone whose input at the club is so significant and varied. However, Hayes has been warned to cut down on his academy coaching duties given his continued importance to the first team. “There are only certain times he does that and other times he has to go back and get his feet up and get ready for the game,” said Robson. “Because first and foremost he is still a first-team Aberdeen player and that’s the most important thing at the moment.”

Hayes will likely be involved on Sunday against Rangers as the Ibrox side return to Pittodrie for the first time since a dramatic 3-2 win in December, when the visitors trailed 2-1 going into injury time. Sky Sports has scheduled the game in the slot normally reserved for screening a big English Premier League match. With the spotlight on them Robson is keen for Aberdeen to continue the run of form that has seen his side leapfrog Hearts into the all-important third place in the league. Very few tickets remain.

“I just hope that we perform well in the game,” said Robson. “We want to try to affect the game as much as we possibly can. As you will have heard me say so often we don’t get carried away with anything. We have to be at our best and we have to be eights nines and 10s (out of ten) to get a good result. We know it’s going to be difficult, but hopefully we can do it.”

Another bit of brighter news away from Shinnie which Robson was able to report is that midfielder Connor Barron is back training again after a groin injury.

Aberdeen get two bits of good news amid Shinnie-gate - but Jonny Hayes gets coaching warning