Dante Polvara in Hibs transfer confession as Aberdeen star desperate for Pittodrie debut

Aberdeen new boy Dante Polvara admitted he could easily have been playing for Hibs rather than against them this afternoon.

The 21-year-old is gearing up for his Pittodrie bow after making his Dons debut last time out against Rangers.

Polvara is American men’s college player of the year and confirmed that Hibs were the first Scottish side to express an interest in him when he was at Georgetown but he decided to take his chances at Aberdeen.

Polvara confirmed: “Yes, they (Hibs) also have American ownership. Obviously, the relationship is a lot easier to spark in that sense.

“That just got me excited about Scottish football. From last September I have been looking at Scottish football and following it.

“It helped me because it gave me a good feeling for the football and what it was going to be like when I came to making a decision. “For me, the culture of the club, we expect to be winning and be competing for trophies.

“We expect to be competing for Europe and we have a passionate fanbase. At the same time, everybody cares about each other and looks after each other. That is important when you are leaving everything behind.”

The American arrived in January but his Pittodrie stay has been a pretty turbulent time as he needed a double hernia operation and then manager Stephen Glass, who signed him, was replaced by Jim Goodwin.

He confirmed: “It’s always a shock when there is a change of management and style.

“I felt a bit horrible for that, to be honest. Any player would want to play for the manager who has brought them in.”

The good thing for him is that Goodwin has kept faith in him and given him his first top-team appearance at Ibrox.

Polvara added: “Unfortunately football is a fickle sport and things move