Why Aberdeen deal for Ross McCrorie is initially a loan and what Derek McInnes expects from the Rangers player

Hibs miss out on Scotland Under-21 international

New Aberdeen signing Ross McCrorie is a Scotland U21 international. Picture: Craig Foy / SNS

Aberdeen have confirmed the signing of Scotland Under-21 international Ross McCrorie from Rangers and Derek McInnes expects the player to “fulfil his potential” with the Dons.

Due to financial restrictions stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, the 20-year-old joins the club initially on a loan deal until the end of the 2020-21 season.

He will then become a permanent part of the Aberdeen squad for a further three years starting next June.

Hibernian were also keen on the player but their bids were rebuffed by Rangers and the player opted for Aberdeen.

Derek McInnes, the Pittodrie club’s manager, said he "couldn't be more pleased" to have won the race for McCrorie.

"I've admired Ross for a while but was aware of the challenges we faced to get him," he said.

"I'm thankful we've now got the chance to work with him.

"I'm looking forward to helping him try to fulfil his potential in an Aberdeen shirt and delighted that he has shown real desire to become our player."

McInnes added McCrorie would go straight into the squad for Thursday's match at St Johnstone.

"We've got a lot of games to play in the coming weeks, we've got games to catch up on as well as our Europa League match," he said.

"We'll have a lot of games in a short space of time and we're still carrying injuries so having as strong a squad as possible is vital for us to fulfil our goals this season.

"Getting Ross in is part of our long-term succession planning and his arrival signals the start of our preparations for next season's transfer business.

"Young Scottish players such as Ross don't become available very often and we've had a lot of success in the past signing such players but for both the long-term and short-term, Ross is a fantastic signing for us."

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