Midfielder rewarded for his fine form this season

Dons youngster Sebastian Ross has signed a new two year deal that will see him remain at Pittodrie until at least the summer of 2020.

The Inverurie born 18 year old, a product of the Youth Academy who been with the club since he was 10, is a regular with Paul Sheerin’s Development side and has represented Scotland.

This season the midfielder has made 21 appearances for the Under 20s and scored an impressive 11 goals. In 16 development league games he has netted on 10 occasions.

Seb’s younger brother Ethan is also on the books at Pittodrie.

Paul Sheerin spoke to afc.co.uk this afternoon:

“Seb has been really hard working, not just this season, but since we first took him into the club as an U17 player two years ago and then in his first full year last season.

“We always say to the boys that there is a pyramid system in place. They need to climb from their first year up to the second year, continually showing signs of improvement and by the time they are in their third year they need to be regulars. Seb is well ahead of that. He established himself last season and is now arguably one of the first names on my team sheet.

“Wherever I put him he steps up to the plate. 11 goals already this season from the middle of the park is brilliant. He has got an excellent knack of being in the right place at the right time inside the area. Even last week when we played him a bit deeper he still managed to get himself into the box.

“In terms of his attitude, his appetite and his application around the club, Seb has been outstanding and is well worthy of his new deal.

“The challenge for him now is to start knocking on the manager’s door for a place in the first team squad. It is an obvious step for him, but he has to keep working hard and going in the right direction which I am sure he will. In time it might mean that he has to go out on loan to get some first team experience and that is something we will look at in the future.

“He is well aware of what we expect from him and it is up to Seb to hit those expectations.

“Like Seb twelve months ago, Ethan has done well in his first year as a full time professional. They have a good understanding, not just because they are brothers but because they are good footballers. Good footballers react to other good players around them.

“It is not just the case with Seb and Ethan.

“Bruce Anderson, Connor McLennan, David Dangana, Chris Antoniazzi; whoever it is we have play up there, they are all clever, forward-thinking players and with a solid platform behind them, it has resulted in us enjoying a decent campaign so far. Hopefully we can get a good run of results between now and the end of the season and we will see where it takes us. Seb will certainly have a major part to play.”

RedTV | you can watch an interview with Seb talking about his new deal by clicking here.