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Aberdeen attacker Ryan Hedges hopes Rangers-bound Scott Wright will remain at Pittodrie until the end of the season

by Sean Wallace
26/01/2021, 10:15 am Updated: 26/01/2021, 11:55 am
© PAAberdeen's Ryan Hedges (right) celebrates scoring his side's third goal of the game with teammate Scott Wright in the 6-0 defeat of Runavik.
Aberdeen's Ryan Hedges (right) celebrates scoring his side's third goal of the game with teammate Scott Wright in the 6-0 defeat of Runavik.

Attacker Ryan Hedges hopes he has not played his last game with Rangers-bound Scott Wright.

Wright has signed a pre-contract agreement with Rangers and will move to Ibrox on a three-year deal in the summer.

However, it is understood Rangers now aim to fast-track Wright’s Ibrox career by taking him to Glasgow this month.

Rangers are ready to re-open talks with Aberdeen to push through a transfer before the January window closes on Monday.

Scott is a great player and hopefully Motherwell isn’t our last game together.

“Whatever happens will happen.

“But I would love Scott to stay and be an Aberdeen player to keep driving us forward.”

Ryan Hedges

There have been reports of a potential player swap, including Ibrox winger Jordan Jones, while Aberdeen are also due to pay a £350,000 fee for Ross McCrorie in the summer, so either could potentially come into play.

Hedges has forged a strong attacking partnership with Wright, but fears the 2-0 defeat of Motherwell could be their last match together.

But he hopes Wright will see out the final six months of his Pittodrie deal to help Aberdeen’s bid for success – then exit for Ibrox on a high.

Hedges said: “Scott is a great player and hopefully Motherwell isn’t our last game together.

“Whatever happens will happen.

“But I would love Scott to stay and be an Aberdeen player to keep driving us forward.”

Aberdeen offered a new contract to the Pittodrie youth graduate last October, but talks stalled.

McInnes admitted earlier this month that Wright, out of contract at the end of the season, looked set to exit Pittodrie.

Wright has been free to talk to any interested clubs since the transfer window opened on January 1.

© SNS Group
Aberdeen’s Scott Wright is substituted during a Scottish Premiership match against Motherwell.

Wright stated in December prior to going in for surgery on a double hernia that he would leave contract talks to his agent and the Dons while he concentrated on his recuperation. However, no agreement could be reached.

Pittodrie youth academy graduate Wright has been a stand-out performer this season alongside Welsh international Hedges.

Rangers informed Aberdeen of their intention to secure Wright on a pre-contract following their 2-1 win at Pittodrie earlier this month.

Hedges said: “You can tell that Scott and myself really enjoy playing together.

“Sometimes you just link-up with a player and that is exactly what it is like with us.

“We’re on similar wavelengths and you could see that in the performance against Motherwell.

“It’s been a while since we played together since Scott’s injury and I didn’t play last week against Ross County.

“It has been a while coming and it hasn’t helped missing key players.

“Now Scott is back fit hopefully we can really kick on.”

The defeat of Motherwell was the first time Hedges and Wright had linked up together since a 2-0 defeat of Hibs on November 6.

Wright had been ruled out for six weeks with a double hernia problem that required surgery.

On Wright’s return to the starting line-up, against Ross County in a 4-1 defeat, Hedges was suspended having received a straight red in the 2-1 loss to Rangers.

Hedges said: “It’s disappointing to miss games, especially through my own fault, and it would have been nice to be involved last week, but these things happen.

“Now I have to work hard to keep myself in the team.”

© SNS Group
Aberdeen’s Ryan Hedges (L) and Motherwell’s Jake Carroll battle for the ball.

Both Hedges and Wright were influential in an impressive performance as the Reds rallied from the setback of losing 4-1 at Ross County.

Hedges said: “The gaffer said we needed to bounce back after the disappointment of Ross County and we did that.

“The team performance was much more like ourselves, but getting the three points was the main thing.

“We had to come out the traps and show the right attitude and that we could bounce back and we duly delivered.

“From the performance against Motherwell, you could see everyone was enjoying it out there.

“When you are playing well everyone wants to be involved.”

Aberdeen reclaimed third in the Premiership with the defeat of Motherwell at Pittodrie.

The Reds hold a two-point advantage over fourth-placed Hibs and have also played a game less than the Easter Road side.

The next five games are crucial and hopefully we can kick on in these five and then see where we are after that.

“We had a bit of a fortress here at Pittodrie and we overturned some demons by beating Motherwell who inflicted our first defeat in a while there.”

Ryan Hedges

Crucially, the gap on second-placed Celtic was also slashed to four points.

Troubled Celtic, who hold a game in hand on Aberdeen, have taken just three points from the last four Premiership matches.

Hedges refused to be drawn on any push for second and Champions League qualification.

However, he insists the foundation for a successful Premiership campaign lies in making home advantage count at Pittodrie.

© SNS Group
Aberdeen’s Ryan Hedges in action in the 2-0 defeat of Motherwell.

He said: “We’ve got to aim as high as we can but we have to take it one game at a time.

“The next five games are crucial and hopefully we can kick on in these five and then see where we are after that.

“We had a bit of a fortress here at Pittodrie and we overturned some demons by beating Motherwell who inflicted our first defeat (3-0 September) in a while here.

“We have to keep making it a hard place for opposition teams to come to Pittodrie.”