‘My focus is 100% here’ – Aberdeen boss Thelin on Sweden links

Jimmy Thelin insists he is fully committed to Aberdeen, having been linked to the vacant Sweden manager’s post this week.

Sweden are searching for a replacement Jon Dahl Tomasson after a dismal World Cup qualifying campaign.

But Thelin was quick to underline his desire to stay on with the Scottish Cup holders, despite a sticky start to his second season at Pittodrie.

“It’s always a honour to be mentioned in such circumstances but I have a long contract here,” he said when asked about the speculation in his homeland.

“I’m really happy with the spirit and surroundings here and hopefully we have so many good things to look forward to. My focus is 100% here.

“We have been through a tough time but we still have a strong belief in the three year plan that we have. It’s a journey I really like to be involved in.”

Aberdeen sit bottom of the Premiership going into Saturday’s visit to St Mirren but picked up their first league win of the season in style before the international break, beating Dundee 4-0.

“I feel the team is going in the right direction,” said Thelin.

“You always want things to go faster but we have worked hard. There have been setbacks, disappointments, but the spirit has always been high.

“As long as you keep the spirit high, you can always turn things around.

“It’s not going to be easy. There’s no quick fix but we have a way to work with the things we can control. The way we behave, the way we act.”

Aberdeen are winless in their past 10 league visits to St Mirren and Thelin lost both matches in Paisley last season.

“The manager [Stephen Robinson] has been there for a while and has done a really good job,” he said. “They are a solid team, clear in what they are doing, but my feeling is we are ready to make a really good game.

He also added that he has no plans to rest any players before Thursday’s Conference League trip to AEK Athens, saying: “We go game by game and tomorrow is super important for us.”