What style of football Aberdeen fans can expect from Stephen Glass

New Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass has vowed to bring “fast, attacking football” to Pittodrie after he was appointed as Derek McInnes’ successor.

Stephen Glass is new manager of Aberdeen.

The 44-year-old former Dons midfielder, who has left Atlanta United in the US, has signed a 12-month rolling contract and is expected to be in Scotland in time for Aberdeen’s first post-split Premiership match against St Johnstone on April 10 due to quarantine rules. Interim boss Paul Sheerin will take charge of the Scottish Cup third-round tie against either Dumbarton or Huntly the week before.

Glass, a Scotland internationalist who won the League Cup with Aberdeen in 1995, was hailed as the “outstanding” candidate by the Pittodrie chief Dave Cormack and will arrive in the north-east fresh from a six-month spell as Atlanta’s caretaker manager in America’s MLS. The ex-Hibs, Watford and Newcastle midfielder was in charge of their ‘B’ team and is credited with the development of a number of young players.

"The thing I want to put on the pitch is an attacking style,” said Glass. “When I came into the club as a really young kid, that's what was expected of me. Attacking, trying to win games every week. When you go to Glasgow, you're going to win. If you put an Aberdeen team on the pitch, then people will come and watch and believe in them. That's the aim – fast, attacking football, scoring goals. There's a huge incentive to do well.

"I think I've got a good man-management style. Players respond. I believe I've got a good teaching style and players improve."

Aberdeen are currently fourth in the Premiership, seven points behind third-placed Hibs and five points ahead of fifth-placed Livingston. While overhauling the Capital outfit appears a tall order. Glass will be charged with fending off the Lions’ attempts to pip them to European football and going on a strong run in the cup. He believes he can make an instant impact once he arrives.

"I'm proud that the club has appointed me and given me the opportunity,” Glass continued on RedTV. “I want to assure everybody that I'll work as hard as I can to make it a success.

"I'm hoping to be there for the first game of the split. Obviously there's quarantine rules and health things going on – I need to be very respectful of that. I'll be speaking to the staff in the meantime and catching up with the players.

"I think I can come in and affect it pretty quickly. I'll get a feel for the players, there's some really big games coming up. The future looks bright."

Aberdeen chairman Cormack was left in little doubt that he has made the right appointment, with Glass coming in from Atlanta – a club the Dons have a strategic partnership with.

“During our recruitment process our football strategy, philosophy and the key attributes we desire in a new manager led us to short-listing and interviewing a number of emerging highly talented, driven and ambitious coaches,” said Cormack. “Stephen was the outstanding candidate for the role. He is a bright, young, emerging manager who has all the attributes we are looking for to take this club forward.”