Jim Goodwin insists Aberdeen fans will get a chance to give Andy Considine a fitting send-off before his summer departure – because he’ll definitely see first-team action between now and the season’s end.
Dons boss Goodwin defended the club against accusations that they’d made a “derisory” offer of a one-year contract extension to the long-serving defender.
Just six weeks into the job, the new gaffer said Considine had been “emotional” when it was agreed that his time at Pittodrie would come to an end.
But Goodwin, who also confirmed Mikey Devlin won’t have his contract extended beyond the end of the current campaign, stressed the need to be hard-headed when spending the club’s money.
Referencing Considine’s absence from the first team since last August, a result of the cruciate ligament damage suffered in a Europa Conference League defeat to Qarabag in Azerbaijan, Goodwin said: “There were people out there, in the media, saying we’d made him a derisory offer.
“It was far from derisory. The offer made to Andy was very fair for someone who has been a great servant to the club.
“I said a few weeks ago we were very close, that was just a case of dotting ‘i’s and crossing ‘t’s. I thought we were extremely close.
“Then the agent came in with this counter proposal, which was ridiculous, in my opinion.
“We mentioned six figures. Most men on the street would be delighted with that kind of offer. If anything, it was an extremely respectful offer to a player who has been a great servant to a club, who is – it’s fair to say – going into the latter stages of his career.
“He’s 35 years old now, Andy, and I felt the offer on the table was good. His agent wanted an offer that took him until he was 37 and we just felt that wasn’t doable.
“Andy is coming back from a real serious knee injury, as well. I’ve been at clubs, in the past, where players coming back from that sort of injury don’t get any offer at all.
“So I think the club have handled the situation very, very well. I had a really good conversation with Andy on Monday, explained to him there probably wasn’t going to be the opportunity to play as regularly as he would like next season.
“I had seen Andy as a squad player, he believes he’s got plenty left in the tank and wants to go play regular football.
“We agreed it was probably best for both parties we go our separate ways.”
Confirming that Considine was in the squad for Saturday’s final pre-split Premiership fixture, at home to Ross County, Goodwin added: “Andy is obviously quite emotional about the situation. He’s leaving a club he’s been at for a long time.
“It was a very difficult decision on my part. But some manager, at some point, had to make this decision.
“I felt it was the right time to do it and I’ve made that decision with the football club’s best interests at heart.
“But, in saying that, this doesn’t have to end sourly. Andy is very much still a first-team player. He’s going to train with the group every day.
“And our supporters will get the opportunity, in the weeks ahead, to give Andy the kind of send-off he deserves and show their appreciation to him.
“There hasn’t been any great fall-out. Honestly. There really hasn’t.
“Andy has been a great servant of the club, but there are no lifelong contracts.
“I have a budget I need to manage. I can’t keep giving players money here and there. If I think I can use the budget elsewhere, that is what I need to do.”
