Aberdeen get Euro boost as key player declared ready to face BK Hacken

Aberdeen are preparing the American international striker Christian Ramirez for a key role in their European campaign, starting on Thursday against BK Hacken.

Andy Considine, Christian Ramirez and Ryan Hedges during an Aberdeen training session at Cormack Park.

Manager Stephen Glass today declared the 29-year-old fit and ready for a competitive debut at Pittodrie in the first leg of the Europa Conference League second qualifying round.

Signed last month from Houston Dynamo, Ramirez arrived in Scotland in good condition and is expected to lead Aberdeen’s attack this season.

“He’s ready. He was already fit because he was mid-season [in the USA],” explained Glass. “He didn’t play a lot because they [Dynamo] knew he was on the way out and started protecting their own group.

“He’s ready. He’s going to play the European games. He’s a vastly experienced player. I think his team-mates have liked what they’ve seen, we’ve liked what we’ve seen so far. We’re delighted that we’ve managed to get him.

“It was a big statement for us to get a player like that and it was a big statement from him to take the cut that he did in his salary to show that he wanted to be a high-profile player.”

Asked if he will play employ two strikers, Glass replied: “We’ve got options. We’ve also got Connor McLennan, we’ve got Michael Ruth, we’ve got Ryan Hedges. We can play with attacking forwards a little bit wider.

“We’ve got a lot of different options. That’s what the players we’ve got have given us. Some of them are better playing with a partner, some of them are better on their own. It’s up to us to find the recipe that works.”

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