Kenny McLean, current away with the national team, recently spoke to RedMatchday Magazine.

Kenny has played at least some part in Aberdeen’s last 138 games, stretching back to the home leg v KF Shkendija at the start of the 2015/16 season. Only a handful of players in our history have better records than his. Sadly, it is a run that will come to an end in a months’ time due to a suspension which will keep him out of the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final. Still a fair achievement from one of our most consistent performers.

“Before I came to Aberdeen, I missed quite a bit of the previous two seasons at St Mirren through injury. That held me back a bit but since I have been here, I have pretty much been involved in every game. My fitness has been good. I haven’t always played well but the manager has stood by me in a lot of the games, even when I have not been doing well. I think he realises I will always give myself a chance to do as well as I can. I have always given everything I can and I think the manager recognises and appreciates that.

“It is massive for a player when you know the manager puts his trust in you. He knows when I run out on a Saturday what I am going to give him. I think this season I have been pretty consistent and hopefully it continues between now and the end of the season, in the 11 league games and hopefully three more cup games.

“There have not been too many injuries in my time here and a lot of credit must go to the medical staff who are brilliant. That was a bit of problem for me before when I would miss games through injury. There has been times here when I have been struggling on the Thursday or Friday before a game but they have made me fit and I have somehow managed to make it on the Saturday.

“It is a long time to go 133 games without one injury but it is not just down to me. It is the way we prepare for games and the recovery process, with us getting rest at the right times. Graham Kirk gets us right for a game. He knows the workloads that we need to be put through us, so every training session is thought through. The manager and Graham work closely on that. Obviously the manager will want us to train as much as possible and get as much into us as is needed ahead of the weekend, especially tactically, but he will also listen to the sports science team.

“We give Graham a lot of feedback. Every morning we will fill in a sheet on our wellness, on how fatigued we feel, how our muscles are, how much we have slept, all that type of stuff. All that information is taken into consideration and looked at for what training we need and for what work we need to do in the gym. Everything is structured really well. That attention to detail makes a difference”.

Kenny’s time at Pittodrie is, of course, nearing its end, but will he miss being part of this dressing room?

“Definitely. It was the same when I left St Mirren. We had a really good changing room there even although we got relegated. Even if we got beat at the weekend, we would come in on the Monday and the spirit was still there. This changing room is excellent. There are a lot of good boys and that shows on the pitch. I will miss it, but it is part of game. I will move on and someone will come in and take my place.

“There were a couple of teams who were interested in me but when I heard of the connection with Norwich, it was something I was keen to pursue. Funnily enough, at that time they had a couple of matches on TV so I watched the games with a lot of interest. The way they played, I was drawn to it. I like to keep the ball, I like to keep possession. I like to think that is one of my strengths and I like to get on the ball. I was drawn to that. They then became my number one team to go to. It was not confirmed they were definitely interested in me, so I did not want to get too ahead of myself.

“They played against Chelsea in the FA Cup and it did not change them. They were playing against world class players but they were still trying to play it out from the back. It was excellent to watch. It was something I wanted to be involved in.

“When I went down, I saw how well run a club they are. I met the owners and I met the manager. They just seemed so welcoming. I felt wanted. That was a massive thing. Then I saw the training ground and the stadium. The facilities are excellent. After that, I was sold on it and there was nowhere else I wanted to go. I was delighted with how quickly everything was done. Then when I could come back here, it was a bonus for everyone.

“I have spoken to James Maddison about it. Normally, I’m congratulating him on his goals every other week! I will check the score after the game and more often that not, his name is on the scoresheet or he has set a goal up. I think everyone saw his ability when he was here but he has now taken that to the next level. He has more of an end product. He is not a complete player yet but he has gone up a gear. I know from speaking to him he has a very good relationship with the manager and the manager trusts him. He is a massive player for Norwich. Hopefully he will be there next season.

“Norwich are on a good run. A little while back there was a gap below them and a gap above them. They have now got closer to the teams above them. It think it might be a little bit too much to get into the play-offs but they are picking up at the right time and there is always one team who comes from the pack and goes on a run and makes it into the play-offs right at the end. There are teams above them who could do the same, but it is not impossible for Norwich to make it.

“The Championship is a league where there are a lot of games, but with the amount of games we have played at Aberdeen over the past few seasons, I am sure it is something I can handle!”

It is the stage of the season when we start to think about the player of the year, goal of the season etc. Scott McKenna’s effort from 40 yards against Kilmarnock will be a strong contender, and if that wasn’t the highlight of the season, Kenny’s reaction – complete disbelief – was just as memorable!

“I think my reaction did sum up most of the crowd. The fans were shouting to him to shoot, but it was a bit of a token gesture because you don’t expect to score from there. I have pulled off for a diagonal pass but he has stepped in and hammered one. The camera zoomed in on Jamie MacDonald the Kilmarnock keeper and he said something similar to me. I turned away in disbelief more than anything.

“Big Scott has got the hardest shot you will ever see. Even when he plays in a pass, it comes in so hard. I don’t mind that. It is good because as a defender, he has the biggest clearance I have ever seen.

“I can’t say it’s something he does a lot in training but I think he tries it more now! If there is not too much on and he is stepping into that position, maybe not from 40 yards, it’s worth having a go.

“Teams will get wise to it though and he will get closed down more because his use of the ball is getting better and better. It is not a bad tool to have, a strike from 40 yards from your centre half!

“Scott has surprised everyone this season, including myself, I have to be honest. I know how good he is but I could not have predicted the impact he would make. He was struggling last season at Ayr, but he has always been so difficult to play against in training. He is an animal in the gym. He is solid and a mountain of a boy. To play against him, you don’t get a minute. I just don’t enjoy playing against him in training. I will go and pick my battles somewhere else.

“I think he has grown as a player and as a person. He has come out of his shell and everything is getting better for him. His performances have been a standout since he came into the team. He is another one who the gaffer has put his trust in because he knows what he is going to get from Scott. He is so dominant. He has come up against some very good players, seasoned professionals, and he is dealing with them. The interest in him in January from clubs down south did not surprise me. It is great that he stayed, but one day he will get to the top.

“He has a very good temperament and he does not get too carried away, although I don’t think you can in our changing room. I would be one of the first to jump on Scott if he tried it, but he is not that kind of guy. He would not be allowed to get away with not being himself. The best thing for the manager is that he wants to get better all the time. He is always wanting to learn. That makes the manager’s job easier.”

Kenny himself will likely make most of the AFC short-lists this season and will also have a contender for goal of the season for his header against Dundee United in the cup.

“The credit has to go to Ryan. If that goal was scored by a top English or Spanish side, it would be shown across Europe. I think what he has done is pretty special. What makes it better for me is that he does the trick on Willo Flood! Willo goes in but Ryan skips by him with a bit of skill and then the ball in was terrific.

“He has noticed the space between the central defenders after he had a quick look up. To be able to have a look after executing that piece of skill, and then pick me out, it is something not many people in this league can do. He has just got that ability. I said after the game that it did not surprise me that the ball landed on my head, because I know how good he is and I know the quality he has got. I don’t think I had to break my stride so most of the credit needs to go to Ryan and I was just delighted to see my header hit the back of the net after his work.

“The skill was unbelievable. I did not see Willo after the game but I will need to send him a little clip of the incident. I did not know it was Willo at the time but when I saw it back, I had a little chuckle. That just made the goal better! I am sure Willo would have applauded the goal as well. He is a great guy and someone we all at this club have a lot of respect for.”

Anybody who has played 138 games in a row is clearly pretty consistent, but it’s been very much the case that the longer the season goes on, the better and better Kenny gets, something he’s repeating this term.

“I don’t really know why that is – maybe just keep taking me to Dubai for a week in January and I will come back ready to go! It was the case last season, I did finish the campaign really strong. This season too, I have started the second half pretty well. I think that is partly down to getting my future secured. Since I signed for Norwich, it has taken a bit of pressure of me. I had five months left of my contract, I had already said that I wanted to try a different challenge. Knowing everything is sorted, I can focus fully on doing well for Aberdeen. It is something I would always do anyway but then I could maybe be trying too hard in games and trying to force things.

“Now I feel relaxed going into games and I can play my natural game. I can go out and express myself and enjoy it. That is the main thing about football. I think players can put too much pressure on themselves and then find it harder to perform. If you are relaxed then the best will come out.

“I think the Scotland experience helped me too. I think the fact we were playing against a good team was a big positive for me. I enjoyed working under Malky. The week leading up to the game, I was aware I was playing and he gave me a lot of encouragement, he said I was picked for a reason. I was not picked because someone did not want to be there, he told me that I had earned it, so go and prove you can play on this stage. Being involved with Scotland has given me a lot of confidence.

“Saying all that, I’ve always wanted to be a winner, I have just been brought up that way. I have always wanted to win. When I was younger and I was playing anything with my dad, he would not let me win. Even at 9 or 10, he would not let me win. It would make me so angry, I think he knew what he was doing all along because when I did win, it made me feel so good. And then you want that feeling all the time.

“Everyone wants to win but you need that little bit extra inside you. Everyone will say that they don’t like losing, but there are players who show it that little bit more. We have a lot of boys in the changing room who really hurt when we lose. The manager will remind us that we don’t want that feeling.

“We get so deflated. The Rangers game springs to mind. In the changing room after the game everyone was so down. I think sometimes you need to remind yourself of that feeling before you go out onto the pitch. Do you want that feeling again? I definitely don’t. Sometimes I will lose my head a bit, and not at the right times, but it’s just because I want the best for everyone and the team. We are lucky that we have a lot of leaders. Shinnie is the captain. He is the one we all look to but we have a lot of leaders in there and everyone wants the same thing.

“I don’t think losing the Scottish Cup final last season makes me want to win the cup more this season because I want to win every time I walk onto the field. So it think to say I want it more cannot be the case. I wanted it last season. This season is no different. I will go back to the feeling that we had after the game. I could not watch them lifting the cup. Sometimes I remind myself of that feeling and I think that drives me on more than anything. We have a way to go yet but we have the players and the quality to challenge for the cup.

“There is a lot to look forward to. We are in an ok position but there is a lot of work ahead”.