The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Hanley eyes three building blocks to success
few things off him and come back a better player.
“In between drills, he’ll come over and make a point or wee things that can help out. I just want to take them to my game at Aberdeen and help with my game.”
Getting an opportunity is all McKenna has needed. He seized the chance to play regularly last season by going out on loan to Ayr United and could have ended up back in the Championship this season, with a move to Livingston. However Aberdeen boss McInnes has had faith in him and he has been a mainstay in the Dons’ backline.
McKenna’s persistence and performances have paved the way for him to go from the nearly man to being a full Scotland international.
He said: “I said when I got my Aberdeen debut at Motherwell, I’d been waiting long enough for a chance. It was more about excitement than anything else.
“Ever since I’ve tried to take everything in my stride and I think I did that on Friday. There was a few nerves because you’ve never been in that situation before but I thought I coped reasonably well.
“It was all about getting a chance – a lot of us got a chance at the same time and did reasonably well. It’s up to us to keep it going and hopefully centre back won’t be a problem going forward.
“If someone told me at the start of the season I’d have a cap I wouldn’t have believed you.
“I wasn’t in the under-21s and I wasn’t playing for Aberdeen. It just shows how quickly things can change.” Scotland defender Grant Hanley feels the three remaining friendlies before the start of the Nations League will be important exercises in building the squad.
Four debutants started the 1-0 defeat to Costa Rica on Friday night and manager Alex McLeish is expected to make further changes for the Hungary game tomorrow.
Hanley was one of the old guard that retained his place from the Gordon Strachan era, playing the 90 minutes at a subdued Hampden Park.
As one of the more experienced heads in the squad, he sees the benefit of gelling with new faces during these friendly games.
There are two more games pencilled in for the end of the season, away to Peru and Mexico.
Hanley said: “We have
“The better you know each other the better you work together”
got some friendly games leading up to the Nations League and time for the boys to gel and the squad to get together, get to know the manager and the system.
“These games are important and it is important we learn from nights like this, know where we went wrong and get better.
“It is always a good atmosphere when you come away.
“The boys get on well together and we spend a lot of time together.
“There is no initiation or anything like that but the boys done well and the ones that got their new caps were brilliant.
“Scott at centre back did very well and I was impressed with him.
“It is nice to see some new faces and boys getting their first caps. It is good for them.
“In any walk of life or in any industry, the better you know each other the better you are going to work together.
“When you are away together, you always have plenty of time to get to know each other.”