Reported Celtic target Scott McKenna hailed by Aberdeen teammate Joe Lewis

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The Dons ace missed out on a summer move to Sheffield Wednesday, QPR or Nottingham Forest but the Hoops could yet bring him to Parkhead this month.

Reported Celtic, Sheffield Wednesday, Queens Park Rangers and Nottingham Forest target Scott McKenna has been highly praised by Aberdeen teammate Joe Lewis not only for his talent but also his professionalism (Herald Scotland).

McKenna is widely regarded as one of the most highly rated prospects in the Scottish game, with 83 senior club appearances under his belt aged just 22 (Transfermarkt), and even captaining the national Scotland team in only his fourth appearance.

As a result, there was a lot of reported interest from south of the border but, with the English transfer window closing at 5pm on Thursday, the Dons played hardball over the defender’s signature and he ultimately stayed put at Pittodrie.

According to Herald Scotland, McKenna was keen to move this summer, but despite the frustration of not being allowed to depart, he nonetheless took to the field against Rijeka in the Europa League and put in one of the team’s better performances despite the 2-0 loss.

“You would never have known [about the situation] with the way Scott played,” Lewis told the outlet. “Scott’s attitude is one of his main positives. Things don’t affect him and I think you could see that with his performance in Rijeka – he can be proud of the way he played.

“I am amazed there hasn’t been a lot more interest in Scott. For me, as a defender, he is one of the best I have played with. There is no doubt there will be loads of interest in Scott going forward. He is a great lad and a complete a professional… I have spoken to Scott about the situation, but that conversation will remain in-house.”

The Scottish transfer window does not close until the start of September (Daily Record) so, while the English clubs have failed to get their hands on McKenna this summer, the Hoops still could – according to the Bristol Post, they are still interested, but will only move for him if either Kristoffer Ajer or Jozo Simunovic leave the club before the end of this month.