Scott McKenna believes Aberdeen must thank Derek McInnes for the memories - as he does for Rangers winner

By Andrew Smith
Published 28th Mar 2021, 07:00 BST
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Scott McKenna knows how important Derek McInnes' guidance at Aberdeen was to allowing him to represent Scotland and earn a £3m move to Nottingham Forest. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)Scott McKenna knows how important Derek McInnes' guidance at Aberdeen was to allowing him to represent Scotland and earn a £3m move to Nottingham Forest. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
Scott McKenna knows how important Derek McInnes' guidance at Aberdeen was to allowing him to represent Scotland and earn a £3m move to Nottingham Forest. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
It is likely that Scott McKenna will be on stand-by for Scotland when they face Israel in their World Cup qualifier this evening.

What the Nottingham Forest defender doesn’t seem willing to do is stand by and see Derek McInnes’ Aberdeen tenure denigrated. That seems to have become de rigueur since chairman Dave Cormack has made all the wishes come true of the previously peed-off Pittodrie punters. The US-based businessman playing the fairy godmother role by calling time on McInnes’ eight years in charge earlier this month, and then swiftly recruiting fresh, ambitious young coach Stephen Glass as his replacement before further spreading further pixie dust with the coup in persuading Celtic captain Scott Brown to sign up for next season.

McKenna didn’t feature in the back three selected by Steve Clarke for the 2-2 draw with Austria in Thursday’s Group F opener, with which the Scotland manager is set to keep faith for the Tel Aviv encounter. The 24-year-old is categoric that his Scotland presence, and ability to win a £3million move to Forest last September, all comes down to McInnes’ careful management of his career.

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“Obviously it was disappointing [when he left] because it was the manager who was so good to me. I had such a good time there playing under him,” said the centre-back, who was handed the armband for the toiling English Championship club the other week on his return from two months out with an ankle problem.