MX23RW : Thursday, March 28 12:58:16| >> :600:1089762:1089762:

Derek McInnes: 'Aberdeen must make new strikers feel welcome'

The Dons have not scored in five matches and travel to Celtic Park on Wednesday with only one victory in nine games.

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes has called on his players to help their three new strikers find their feet while chipping in with goals themselves.

The Dons have not scored in five matches and travel to Celtic Park on Wednesday with only one victory in nine games.

Florian Kamberi made his debut in Saturday's wind-affected goalless draw with St Mirren but, like other deadline-day loan signings Fraser Hornby and Callum Hendry, he arrived at Pittodrie with limited match sharpness.

However, the former Hibernian and Rangers striker added some verve to the Dons and McInnes is looking for everyone to help the new players find their feet.

"More than just his quality, I thought he was very infectious and full of enthusiasm at the weekend, and eager to impress," McInnes said. "That sort of approach was really good to see.

"Florian knows the league and has shown his capability before in the SPFL. I think somebody like him can help the situation.

"There's also an understanding that he has not had 90 minutes for months, big Fraser has not been playing and Callum Hendry has not had a lot of starts. But there's also that responsibility being put on them. All three are desperate to play their part.

"It's not just 'bring new lads in, everything is rosy in the garden'. We have all got to take responsibility to help them integrate, help them be part of the team, but also as a team to contribute and score more goals."

McInnes is aware there are limits to helping accelerate the process of getting his new forwards up to speed following the loss of Scott Wright, Sam Cosgrove, Curtis Main and Ryan Hedges, the latter to injury.

"It is a wee bit of a catch-22 because if you put more work into players who have not had games, it takes them a bit longer to recover from the game," he said.

"So Sunday/Monday predominately for Fraser and Florian was just trying to manage their training time and time with the physio so they are ready to do a full session on Tuesday and be ready for the game.

"It's not just a case of play the game and build up their fitness in between games because it's like flogging a dead horse for the games.

"We are just trying to get them through the games really and be careful what we are doing in between the games.

"Next week we are Saturday to Saturday and that might be a better week to top up their fitness work.

"These boys have been training a lot, they have not been playing, and there is a huge difference in that."

Aberdeen face a Celtic side who have strung four wins together for the first time since early October, and an in-form striker in Odsonne Edouard, who has netted eight goals in his last six matches.

"Celtic have had their own struggles with consistency this season but what you have seen recently from them is that they have settled down, knuckled down, and there's been a bit more familiarity and consistency about the line-up," McInnes added.

"The biggest factor for Neil (Lennon) probably is that he has got his front players firing again. Edouard has been instrumental in that."

ID:435517: cacheID:435517:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4873:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes pictured in November 22, 2020
Read Next:
Derek McInnes: 'We must improve in the final third'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Celtic30225371234871
2RangersRangers29231564164870
3Hearts3017493930955
4Kilmarnock30111183933644
5St Mirren30126123637-142
6Hibernian30911104145-438
7Dundee2999114050-1036
8Motherwell30711124147-632
9Aberdeen3079143348-1530
10St Johnstone30610142141-2028
11Ross County3069152851-2327
12Livingston3038192052-3217


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!