Derek Young has proudly watched as Findlay Marshall refused to give up his fight to get into the Aberdeen first-team. The young midfielder has been rewarded with a new contract and will return to pre-season next week as part of Stephen Robinson's squad.
A Turnaround for the Youngster
It has been quite a turnaround for the 20-year-old who was told last summer he was surplus to requirements. However, an impressive loan spell at Arbroath and a change of manager have won him a well-deserved Pittodrie reprieve.
Young coached him coming through the Dons Academy and at the Scottish Football Association's performance school. The former Reds midfielder said: “Marsh got told more or less before he went out on loan that he wasn't going to be at Aberdeen when he came back. Aberdeen have since changed their manager and Marsh has now signed a long-term deal. It is fantastic for him.
“He was superb out on loan at Arbroath. He impressed a lot of people and it also helped that Aberdeen changed their manager during that time. Stephen Robinson came in, was obviously impressed, wiped the slate clean and gave him this opportunity. It is great for Marsh and Aberdeen because he definitely has a bright future ahead of him.”
Young's Surprise at Thelin's Decision
Young admitted he was stunned when Jimmy Thelin told the youngster he wasn't going to make the grade. He told Record Sport: “I was surprised, yeah, 100%. I was also surprised when Adam Emslie left as well, because I thought Adam was a fantastic talent. I still think he was, but I'm just glad things turn for Finlay. He's from a massive, massive Aberdeen family. It's really, really good for him and really good for the family.”
Loan Spells and Development
The Dons graduate has got all his top team exposure out on loan. He was out at Edinburgh City, moved up to League One with Cove Rangers and then Arbroath in the Championship last season. Marshall scored 15 goals for Arbroath last season. Young joked he didn't always have an eye for goal and that was something that he and the rest of his coaches had to work on to bring out.
Young confirmed: “To be honest, it's actually funny because Findlay was more of a defensive midfielder, get the ball and make tackles. It took us a while to get him to become more of an offensive player. I'm not going to pin this all on me, but between the coaches at Hazlehead and at Aberdeen at a younger age, we had been trying to get him to get his head up, go shoot or find that forward pass. It was something he probably wasn't used to. But just constantly saying to him in training, get your head up, get your head up, get your head up. So to find out that he's scoring 12, 13 goals this season and many assists and whatever else last season was brilliant. All his hard work has fallen into place and that is good to see.”
Marshall's Determination
Marshall is determined to make his dream come true. “I worked with Findlay for years,” Young insisted. “I had him for three years at Aberdeen and I had him for three, four years at the school. So Finlay would have been sick of the sight of me. He's a really, really good kid. I've saw him the other day as well, helping with an AFC Community Trust thing. He's looking forward to getting started in the summer and seeing where it takes him.”
What Marshall Brings to Aberdeen
Young also believes Marshall can offer something that this Aberdeen squad is currently lacking. “He's got an engine,” he insisted. “He can get into the box. Like you said, he's picking things up as he goes. He's a good kid with a good head on his shoulders and he just wants to improve. This year he's massively improved and he's arriving in the box and he's finishing. Aberdeen are probably missing that. So it's only a positive for him because he probably could just all of a sudden go and play as a number six, but at the moment he's kind of playing as a No. 10 or a No. 8.”
