Stephen Robinson has revealed he knows who is next Aberdeen captain will be - but stopped short of announcing it.
The Dons head coach has had to make the decision in the aftermath of Graeme Shinnie leaving Pittodrie at the end of last season. The midfielder had the opportunity to stay on at the club but opted to make a move back to Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
And his exit left a spot open to a new skipper. Robinson admits he has already made the call on who will wear the armband this year.
However the Northern Irishman insists being a leader at a club the size of Aberdeen is more about doing the business on the pitch than necessarily being the man to don the proof.
"I have, but I won't reveal it yet," he said when asked if he has picked his new captain. "We put it to the players, we want a group of boys that lead the football club.
“People say, if it's always the staff leading things, maybe it creates a good team. Great teams have the players leading them.
“That's what we're trying to create here, a group of boys that drive the dressing room, drive standards and, 'I know what it means to play for Aberdeen Football Club.'
“The guy that tosses the coin for the club. Times have changed now.
“Graeme Shinnie was an incredible captain at this football club. He'd done absolutely everything, represented the club, drove the players on the pitch and off the pitch. It doesn't happen too often. We feel that the role of the captaincy should be split between people.
“Obviously, I'll name a captain when the time's right, but I have very different views on it being one person.”
Dons have already wrapped up as many as 10 new signings for the coming season and the boss is delighted to get so much business done so early. Perhaps the opposite of what he's been used to in his management career before now.
But while there have been plenty of incomings, Robinson knows his squad needs streamlined as it's too bloated.
"There's a trust there that we will get players out. Obviously, that's a necessity as well. Our squad is too big," he added. "We're starting to do that. You've seen that happen in the last week.
“There will be a few more to leave as well.
“We're starting to put the basis, I believe, on a really solid squad, a solid spine of the team, with some very good players still to come back from injury as well.
“It's been tremendous that I've been able to do that.
“If we were starting now and waiting for players to leave, like we've done this week, it would, for me, be a really difficult task.”
