Goodwin said: "I made Kyle my captain in the summer for a reason. I believe he's among the best midfielders in the country.

"You see the applause the likes of [Lewis] Ferguson, [Ross] McCrorie and [Allan] Campbell get, and I feel he's in a similar mould.

"Hibs are very lucky to get him. I can only thank him for his efforts, and I'm gutted to lose him.

"In the current climate, financially things are tight for every club and we're no different. It was out of my hands. The decision was made by the board and we wish him all the luck in the world."

Magennis was not involved at Pittodrie, while St Mirren named just four substitutes compared to Aberdeen's full complement of nine.

Goodwin added: "The players we did have tonight gave me absolutely everything and hopefully we'll get to continue that on into the Betfred Cup in midweek."

Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes praised his side for finding a way to seal his 150th win as Dons boss, despite a far less comfortable performance than that they put in against Ross County last Sunday.

He said: "It's the same three points as last week, and we deserved to win, but we had to work for it.

"St Mirren did so well at what they set out to do, and it's a sore one for them. Particularly after we went behind to a brilliant goal, the question was being asked of us and I thought the players' response was terrific.

"I thought we may just run out of time, but Lewis is a player who comes up with big moments. That's his trademark."