SCOTT McKenna is one of the more honest to ply their trade as a footballer. The Aberdeen player is, as they say, a proper bloke.

He’s made mistakes and doesn’t pretend they were anyone else’s fault. A move to Celtic, which would have set him up for life, fell through and his reaction was to shrug those huge shoulders and get on with it.

McKenna won’t complain about bans picked up for a tussle with Alfredo Morelos which the Aberdeen defender admits he started. And as for winding up an opponent, this player is all for it and even when it happens to one of his own players and he disagrees with what occurred, it’s put to the back of his mind.

And as for the reaction to him being an ambassador for Donald Trump’s golf course…okay, that took him aback a bit.

“It’s a good golf course! I maybe didn’t expect as much of a backlash as I got but it doesn’t bother me, to be honest.” Not much does.

McKenna had turned out to be a fine player and is open, refreshingly so, about how he believes his career is going.

He said: “It has been frustrating, picking up a couple of injuries and missing games. I have missed five games through suspension as well which is disappointing for me.

“I obviously let my team-mates down in the Rangers game by getting sent off. But in terms of playing, I have six more Scotland caps, I have played in a cup final for the first time, we have beaten Rangers at Ibrox, I have achieved things I hadn't done before.

“I would say it has still been a success even though there have been some disappointing times in between.

“I am quite hard on myself if it’s my fault. I try my best every game but when I do something like kick out and get a three-game ban then that’s my own fault, I can’t blame anyone else. That annoys me.

“But in terms of performances I know I try my best and if I don’t play well for a couple of weeks that’s just something I try and improve on rather than get frustrated with it.”

McKenna insists he has learned from his set-to with Morelos and even admitted it was he who started it.

He revealed: “I actually tried to wind him up by having a little niggle, but I didn’t realise how raised my leg was. It was up near his head so I couldn’t argue with that.

“It’s up to me to remain calm in those situations, even when they are trying to wind me up.

“Look, you can try and wind your opponent up, but you can’t let it get the better of you, like I did when I reacted against Rangers.

“If they are going to have a nibble back at you then you have to try and let it slide. It’s all part of the game, but I will learn from that and hopefully it doesn’t happen again.

“I don’t intentionally go out looking for it, but if you have an opportunity to try and get in someone’s head or wind them up a little bit I think you’d be stupid not to take it because other players will be quick enough to do it to you if they sense that weakness.

“It you’re not overstepping the mark, and someone reacts the way a couple of the Rangers player (against Celtic) did then that's different.

"You’ve really not done anything wrong, it’s up to them to try and control their temper and stay on the pitch. You’re well within your rights to try and get a little edge.”

McKenna’s Aberdeen are at Hampden on Sunday, again, to face Celtic, again, and the hope is this time it is those wearing red who get to be at the wind up as Mikael Lustig did to Lewis Ferguson at the end of December’s League Cup final.

He said: “That was a wee bit disappointing. He was right in Fergie’s face, a 18-year-old boy. Lustig’s an experienced player, there was absolutely no need to do it.

“They had won the cup, they had beaten us and to try and rub it into someone that young, who hadn’t done anything wrong, I didn’t think that was right. But to be honest I have forgotten about it now.”

McKenna could well end up being a Celtic player next season. The Parkhead club are sure to offer Aberdeen a serious amount of money for a 22-year-old centre-half with a physical presence and a left foot that can play a pass.

The Scotland man has enjoyed an incredible 18 months and has shown maturity to ignore all the talk and play the best football he can.

He said: “You have just got to try and concentrate on Aberdeen as much as you can.

“As much as it is nice to have people talking about you and putting offers in for you when nothing happens there is nothing to be talked about. You have to forget about it.

“As soon as the window closes you are still an Aberdeen player for the next six or seven months and you have to concentrate on that.”

Fair play to him. If only someone had told him the whole Trump thing might be a mistake.