Stuart Armstrong relishing chance to finally play for Aberdeen

Scotland international Stuart Armstrong is excited about finally getting the chance to play for Aberdeen, two decades after they rejected the chance to sign him.

The 33-year-old midfielder joined the Dons on a two-year contract late on Tuesday night after being a free agent since leaving Sheffield Wednesday at the end of last season.

Armstrong was born in Inverness but attended Hazlehead Academy in Aberdeen and played for Dyce Boys Club in the city before having a trial with the Reds, which did not go to plan.

“I’ve not been here (in Aberdeen) in a long time, actually,” Armstrong told RedTV.

“I started playing football here when I was younger, Dyce Boys Club, I was there for years, so I’ve gone the long way around and come back to kind of make it full circle in a football sense, which is a nice feeling.

“I had a few trial games back when I was 13 and never quite cut it – I was probably lacking in a few bits and pieces back then – and I’ve been bitter ever since! But it’s nice to do the long way around and eventually make it through the gates.”

Armstrong instead joined Inverness’ academy before going on to play against the Dons for Dundee United and Celtic.

“I was always desperate to score against Aberdeen after my initial rejection but I only got the one, so I hope I score a few more for the right team this time,” he said.

Armstrong, with 51 Scotland caps to his name, has not played in his homeland since leaving Celtic in 2018 for a six-year stint at Southampton.

After spending last season at Vancouver Whitecaps and Wednesday – and then doing some reflecting over the summer – he is relishing his latest move.

“It’s been a long summer for me, which has been nice, but it gets to the point where you just want to play football again,” he said.

“Sometimes when you’ve had a bit of time out, you re-evaluate what it is you like and enjoy, and I really missed playing competitive, challenging football and the lure of playing in Europe as well.

“It’s exciting to come back to a familiar place, it’s in Scotland, it feels like a long time ago since I played football here.

“I enjoyed my time (in Scotland), so to get the opportunity to do that again is something that maybe I didn’t think would happen for me, but it has and I’m very grateful for it.

“I’ve been very fortunate to be at the right place at the right time, having a good career, different experiences, competing against different players.

“Over time, sometimes you maybe lose perspective of that when you’ve been in that environment for a while, but when you come out of it, it’s a very nice perspective for you of what it is you miss or like when you zoom out.

“For me, that’s just playing football. I think it’s been refreshing for me to have that time out to really find out what it is I enjoy.”