The return of Angus MacDonald last Friday night was almost as pleasing as Aberdeen’s progress into the last eight of the Viaplay Cup at the expense of Stirling Albion. That the paved the way for his inclusion in the party heading out to play BK Häcken on Thursday night and he reflected on his battle back from injury before boarding the plane for Sweden.

“I’ve worked so hard over the last five or six weeks, so to get back on the pitch at Stirling Albion was great. Being injured is so hard, especially at this time of the season when you’re trying to do a proper pre-season, so it means two sessions in the morning, two in the afternoon, you’re doing gym sessions, rehab sessions, sessions on the pitch. But it’s all been worth it and I’m ready to go now. Getting 30 minutes last Friday was perfect for me and I can’t wait to get back to starting games now.

“You have to be fit and strong to play in this team because the manager wants us to be quick, aggressive, good in the transitions. There’s a lot of running and high intensity work, so you’ve got to get yourself right physically to be able to play.”

Thursday night will represent the first European tie of Angus’ career and it’s a game he’s clearly looking forward to.

“Hitting 30, with all the things I’ve gone through in my career, the amount of time I’d missed, I did wonder if I’d ever get the chance to play in Europe, so personally, to finally get this opportunity is an amazing experience. We all know how important Thursday night is because we want to go into the second leg at home with everything still to play for.”