The Dons midfielder spoke to RedTV recently:

Kenny McLean might well be heading into his last six months as an Aberdeen player with his contract finishing in June, but the recently capped Scottish midfielder is determined that the Dons should finish this campaign on a high.

One of Kenny’s great assets is his tactical appreciation. A good reader of the game, what does he put the Dons’ recent upturn in form down to?

“I think in this league, the first goal is crucial. When we get it, it relaxes us and makes teams come at us a bit more, which is ideal for us as we can pick them off.

“That’s what’s been happening of late. The way we’ve been starting has been excellent and that’s what the manager expects from us. He knows what we are capable of, but we need to keep that form going and starting games that way. If we do that, hopefully the results will come during the second half of the season.

“Everybody has taken a lot of responsibility in the last month or so. We’ve been passing the ball around very well, which maybe wasn’t happening in the games before. When we have control of the ball, we can really dictate games. I’ve been playing my part in that and personally, that’s where my strengths lie. I think I can influence games from both defensive and attacking positions. The performances have been coming from all the boys and we need to continue that.

“The Celtic result was disappointing but there were positives to take too. I don’t think it’s a psychological barrier against Celtic as we try and win every game. It’s just not happened for whatever reason. Hopefully it’s something we can put right in the second half of the season.

“The way we’ve been playing and the results we’ve been getting, the confidence is high heading into the winter break.

“When the news about my contract came out, people were always going to question where my head was. I’ve said so many times that I’m not looking at anything except having a good season here. That’s what I want to show the fans and I feel that’s what I’ve done. I just need to continue that and try not given anybody any reason to complain. Some of the games in December were good, but there’s a long way to go so I need to keep that form.

“I don’t want to look too far ahead. We want to win as many games as we can and stay at least in the position that we’re in. Obviously to leave on the back of a Cup win would be excellent, but that’s a long way away.

“We need to look at the game in front of us and that’s what everybody will continue to do. I don’t want to look too far ahead of myself. I want to play at the highest level that I can. Every Scottish player wants to play for the national side and I’m no different. I think everybody will give you the same answer to that, but right now, the focus is doing well for Aberdeen.

“There’s boys up and down the country that are in the same position as me, but we’re professionals and need to do our job. My job right now is to continue to play well for Aberdeen.”