ABERDEEN midfielder Lewis Ferguson has dropped the biggest hint yet that his future will lie away from Pittodrie this summer. 

The 22-year-old had a written transfer request denied last year after Watford has tabled an offer for him and while he remains contracted to Aberdeen until 2024, the likelihood is that there will be a parting of the ways at the end of what has been a desperately disappointing season.

Asked about whether there was a decision on his long-term future, Ferguson said: “No. Not at the moment. I’m hoping to get into the Scotland squad, that’s my aim.

"In terms of my future I don’t know, we’ll just have to wait and see. I have had a few chats with the manager in the past couple of weeks. I don’t know anything yet.

“I’ve got to wait and see what happens in the summer and see where it takes me. I still feel the same way [as last summer].

"It’s difficult to go through when that is all surrounding you and you can’t really think straight.

"It was honestly so hard for about a month or two and my head wasn’t in the right place. It was so difficult and hard to put into words.

"It’s a difficult one to go through and I really don’t want to go through that sort of situation again. Here’s hoping everything goes smoothly this summer.”  

Uppermost in his mind is making Steve Clarke’s play-off squad next month.  

“I want to push to try to get into the squad [for the Ukraine play-off],” he said.  “There are loads of massive games coming up and the chance to get to the World Cup. It doesn’t get much bigger than that. I want to be part of it. I’ve had a wee taste of it over the past year. "