Not too many footballers from this country have managed to play with clubs in four different nations and collected four full Scotland caps by the time they are 24, but that’s the way the career of Aberdeen’s new centre-half David Bates has panned out thus far.

Having begun his career here at home, in 2018 David moved to Germany to play with Aberdeen’s old foes Hamburger SV and in the intervening three years, he has also had loan spells in England with Sheffield Wednesday and then in Belgium with Cercle Brugge.

The idea that travel broadens the mind has certainly been the case for Bates who is something of an evangelist for the benefits of getting out of your comfort zone and trying life in a different land.

“I would recommend going abroad to anyone, it’s a good experience. It’s different, both in the styles of play and the atmosphere, so you become a better player if you’re working with the right people. When you’re young and if you don’t have ties, then I would say to any player they should go away to experience it because you will improve. I certainly have.

“I’ve come back from Europe a better player. I know the game better, it opened my eyes when I went there to the tactical side, the intensity, the attention to every detail, all these little things that make a difference. It’s only like 1%, but it makes a huge difference. It’s very different as a centre-half there. I had to adapt quickly but you get that with games.

“It was a big, big change in style in Europe. Technically, I’ve improved a lot I would say, my reading of the game is better. I’ve always thought that I was a good defender when I was in Scotland, but I always wanted to improve my style on the ball, so I went over there and learned a lot. When to play, when to step in with the ball.

“My first coach over there was really into possession based football and helped me a lot. It was a big change but over the course of the season, that got better and better and I feel like I’ve benefited a lot from my time away.

“The Germans are very professional. They have strict training plans, not many days off, long training sessions. You need to be 100% in training, there’s no getting away from it because if you slacken off, they will dig you out. There’s a lot of tactical stuff as well, 11 v 11 in training at full intensity, so I improved a lot as a player under a good coach, playing out from the back, man for man defending, pressing high.”

If there is one truism in football though, it’s that you can expect the unexpected. While David was establishing himself as a fans’ favourite at Hamburg, the club’s failure to win promotion meant turmoil behind the scenes and plenty of changes as a result.

“That first year was great for me, though it was obviously disappointing we never got promoted. It was it was a really good experience. As I said, I would recommend it 100% to young players, to get out there and experience different football styles and different cultures as well. I’ve definitely improved tactically, improved on the ball as well, my decision making is better, I’m more comfortable in possession. But after that first season, there was a lot of change at the club and almost everyone got cleared out. I was injured in pre-season and things didn’t go to plan after that.”

A loan move to Sheffield Wednesday followed but injury right at the beginning of that period wiped out David’s participation in the 2019/20 season before he get things back on track with a season long loan with Cercle Brugge last season.

“Belgium was really good. After not playing for a while, I had to get back to playing and went there. It was a good league, full of really different styles. Everyone was pretty technical, but a lot were physical as well, which you get in Scotland and England as well. Some of them are top sides and really good footballing sides too.

“Obviously spending last year in Belgium wasn’t easy because of Covid. I was out there 10 months and I couldn’t get home, couldn’t get any family to come out and see me so it was tough that way. But in terms of the football, I enjoyed it a lot. But now it was time to settle somewhere again.

“It’s hard going somewhere and settling in somewhere, you’re in hotels, moving on to apartments, and life is always up in the air a little bit. You’re still training but you have so many things in the background going on, adapting to new styles, all of that. So at my age now, I felt it’s important to settle down and try to play as much as I can.

“It will be nice to settle in Aberdeen, I’ve been too busy jumping back and forth from places and in the end, that’s not good for you, so it’s good to know where I’m going to be for a while now and to knuckle down and focus. That’s why I’ve signed a three year contract to play here. Last year in Belgium was more about me getting back and playing after injury but this year is about kicking on and really enjoying it and playing well. I feel like we can really do something good.

“Aberdeen seemed a really good fit for me. I already know a couple of the boys, Ross McCrorie, Lewis Ferguson, Mikey Devlin, so that’s helped a bit with settling in. Coming back to Scotland, it’s another kind of atmosphere in the dressing rooms, it’s always great. There’s not really any other place like it, everyone’s good to each other and it’s always a lively place. Everyone has been very welcoming and has been great.

“I wanted to sign somewhere permanently and I spoke with the manager here. He plays the way I want to play, so it suited me. It’s a similar approach to the game to what I’ve been used to in Germany, a more European style. That really was a big pull. I knew Aberdeen had just got this new training complex and are an ambitious club, so it was ideal.

“I don’t think it is hard to adjust to it being a big club. I’ve played at big clubs before, so I know the pressures that go with it, you have to win every game or it’s not good enough. You have to enjoy that pressure – and I do. They were must-win games every week at Hamburg but that is the same mentality for me because I am a winner.

“I want to win every game, I want to be the best, so playing where that is the expectation suits me. I don’t like losing games, I want to enjoy football and you only do that when you win.

“It’s the best feeling coming off that pitch knowing you’ve won. At Hamburg, that was the mentality, the fans won’t accept anything less. Playing in front of 40,000 was a great experience, a great atmosphere.

“My job now is to impress and show why I was brought in and to secure a place in the team. My job first and foremost is defending, keeping the ball out of our goal. Clean sheets, I love them! It’s like a goal for me. But beyond that, we want to try and dominate teams and if you want to be at the top level, you need to dominate games. It’s enjoyable when you’ve got the ball, you want to be enjoying football and not running about chasing after the ball!

“The way that the gaffer wants to play was a big pull for me. I’ve always said that I don’t want to go somewhere and not improve. I want to get better as a player and kick on and I think his approach to football and the style of play he wants will help me in that. I want to just focus now on getting into the team on a regular basis, playing well and enjoying my game. It’s a very big season ahead of us, there’s a lot we want to achieve and that’s all we can be looking at.”