Kenny McLean has admitted that he was desperate to join Norwich City once they had stepped up their pursuit of him.
The Scotland international signed for the Canaries in January before being loaned back to Aberdeen until the end of the season.
While the 26-year old midfielder revealed that he had other options on the table, he claimed City’s charm offensive tipped the balance for him. He said;
There were a couple of teams who were interested in me but when I heard of the connection with Norwich, it was something I was keen to pursue.
Funnily enough, at that time they had a couple of matches on television so I watched the games with a lot of interest.
They played against Chelsea in the FA Cup and it did not change them. They were playing against world class players but they were still trying to play. It was excellent to watch.
I like to keep the ball. I like to think that is one of my strengths. I was drawn to that. They then became my number one team to go to.
It was not confirmed they were definitely interested in me, so I did not want to get too ahead of myself.
When I went down, I saw how well run a club it is. I met the owners and I met the manager. They just seemed so welcoming.
I felt wanted. That was a massive thing. Then I saw the training ground and the stadium. The facilities are excellent.
After that, I was sold on it and there was nowhere else I wanted to go.
McLean also accepted that a late promotion push is beyond City’s capabilities this season, but he does still harbour hope that he will get to play alongside James Maddison next season, with the England Under-21 international being frequently linked with a Premier League move in the summer.
Talking about Maddison, who previously had a loan spell at Pittodrie, McLean said;
He is not a complete player yet but he has gone up a gear.
I know from speaking to him he has a very good relationship with the manager and the manager trusts him. He is a massive player for Norwich. Hopefully he will be there next season.
I think it might be a little bit too much to get into the play-offs but they are picking up at the right time and there is always one team who comes from the pack and goes on a run.
There are teams above them who could do the same, but it is not impossible.
The Championship is a league where there are a lot of games, but with the amount of games we have played at Aberdeen over the past few seasons, I am sure it is something I can handle.
