The reported target of Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers has been taking a pelting.
Derek McInnes has admitted to The Scottish Sun that he is fuming over the criticism aimed at reported Rangers target Graeme Shinnie.
Shinnie was one of a lot of Scotland players who had a night to forget in losing 3-0 away to Kazakhstan last week – the country’s worst-ever result in a competitive game.
The Rangers-linked midfielder, who was played at left-back, slated his own performance afterwards, with fans and pundits also taking aim at the Aberdeen captain.
But Dons boss McInnes just isn’t having it, insisting that the 27-year-old is ‘guilty of being too honest’.
He told The Scottish Sun: “It has really angered me seeing Graeme taking so much criticism, it’s bang out of order.
“He has been unfairly criticised and taken more than other people.
“Graeme has been guilty of being too honest for his own good, he only played one part in a miserable night for the country.”
McInnes is right. There does seem to be a bit more vitriol directed at Shinnie than anybody else in Alex McLeish’s first XI that night, but at least he was big enough to take accountability for his performance.
The Scot, out of contract at Pittodrie this summer, has been heavily linked with a move to Ibrox [The Scottish Sun] but it seems unlikely that his performance on international duty will dissuade Steven Gerrard from making a move.
As Shinnie said himself, he is much better than he showed in Kazakhstan and that’s why the Gers are reportedly keen.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
