Eoin Jess delivers Aberdeen transfer verdict on Ramsay and Barron as Liverpool and Celtic circle

Eoin Jess believes in-demand Aberdeen youngsters Calvin Ramsay and Connor Barron are destined for the top – something Stephen Glass deserves big credit for.

The Dons hero has been impressed with the latest academy graduates to follow in his footsteps by making a name for themselves at Pittodrie.

Liverpool and Leeds United are both keen on Ramsay while Celtic are keeping a close eye on Barron.

Glass’s managerial rein at Aberdeen ended prematurely after a poor spell but Jess reckons giving Ramsay and Barron the exposure they have had has been invaluable and could add millions on to their price tags if these big clubs do come calling.

Jess said: “You have to praise Stephen for having the foresight to give Calvin Ramsay and Connor Barron their chance in the first team.

“He put them in the team and stuck by them. So Stephen deserves a lot of credit and it could be a big thing for Aberdeen in terms of bringing in future transfer fees.

"Aberdeen can’t go out and buy million-pound players but they can produce their own and fair play to the likes of Neil Simpson and others who have worked at the academy to bring these guys through.

“Aberdeen always brings youth through. Everybody is talking about Connor and Calvin and rightly so.

“They’ve shown up really well for Aberdeen, in a team that is struggling, which is a hard thing to do.”

Jess came through in the golden era along with Scott Booth. He knows it is OK to have the ability but there has to be a pathway and a first-team manager who will give youngsters that opportunity.

“I was lucky enough Alex Smith came in and took a chance on a few younger players,” Jess said.

“I am thankful to Alex because he saw something in me at an early stage in my career. I had only played three