KENNY McLean last night backed his former Aberdeen team mate Ryan Jack to cope if he gets a hostile reception from supporters on his return to Pittodrie with Scotland on Thursday evening.

Jack, who is set to win his first cap for his country in the friendly against the Netherlands, angered many Aberdeen fans when he signed for their fierce rivals Rangers on a free transfer during the summer.

McLean, who has informed his club he will be moving on when his contract runs out at the end of the season, conceded he may be targeted for abuse by some spectators when he takes to the field against Dick Advocaat’s team.

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However, the 25-year-old is confident his fellow midfielder, set to be played out of position at right back against the Dutch, will be able to deal with the situation if he is singled out for flak.

“I’d like to think he will be fine,” he said. “It wasn’t great when he left, the things that were going about. He served the club great, he was the club captain, he won a cup with us. He did excellent and the criticism he received was a bit unfair.

“He let the club know he was going to leave same as another couple of the boys at that time. But I suppose it was different to the way the players left. Jacko knows it won’t be a great reception when he goes back, not from everyone anyway.

“But he’ll be able to handle that, he’s playing at a massive club now and he’ll be used to expectations. He’s representing his country and he’ll do as well as he can and have to deal with it.”

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McLean, who was linked with a move to Rangers in the summer, hasn’t suffered any of the negative reaction that Jack did despite telling Aberdeen that he intends to move on and is hopeful that will continue to be the case going forward.

“It’s down to me,” he said. “If I keep doing well it’ll be fine. If I come off it people will think my head’s elsewhere. It’s up to me keep performing and keep showing I want to be there right now and that’s what I’ll continue to do.

“I think the fans will respect that and respect the effort I’m putting in. You don’t want your commitment to be questioned. I’ve spoken to the manager at length about it. He knows where I’m at and the club know I’ll give everything when selected.”

McLean, who is hoping to add to the Scotland cap he won in a friendly against the Czech Republic in Prague last year, believes that playing at Pittodrie will help him and his Aberdeen team mates Ryan Christie and Graeme Shinnie perform well.

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“That’ll be good for Ryan, Shinnie and I,” he said. “It’s good for us to have the game there and for the city as well. If we play a part and we’ll hopefully do as well as we can.

“It’s excellent being part of the Scotland squad. Getting a bit of recognition and being brought in was excellent. It’s been tough since I’ve been in the squad the first time, it’s been about working hard and getting back to where I want to be. There are plenty of people who want to be in this position and it’s just about working hard and keeping my place.”

Meanwhile, McLean insisted that continuing speculation about Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes taking over at Rangers will not impact on his form or that of Christie and Shinnie.

“That gets put to one side for the Aberdeen boys,” he said. “We can’t think about other things. There’s been a lot of speculation, but, as far as we’re concerned, it’s business as usual. It will be for the manager as well. He’ll be planning the next match.”