Out-of-contract Alfie Bavidge, Alfie Stewart and Ryan Duncan could still have Aberdeen future, Stephen Robinson reveals
Aberdeen boss Robinson has been assessing soon-to-be-out-of-contract Bavidge, Stewart and Duncan after their loans, and gave a 'certainly' reply when asked if there could be a rethink on new deals.
Aberdeen head coach Stephen Robinson is running the rule over returned Caley Thistle and Ross County loanees Alfie Bavidge, Alfie Stewart and Ryan Duncan – and says the out-of-contract trio could yet stay at the Dons.
Youth academy graduates Bavidge, 20, and Stewart, 19, played starring roles in Inverness’ League One title glory this term, while Dons developed Duncan, 22, was part of the Staggies side relegated from the Championship.
With all three players’ Aberdeen contracts set to expire this summer, the two ICT loanees both previously revealed to The Press and Journal they had been told their Reds deals would not be renewed.
Duncan, meanwhile, late last month, said he had not “heard a thing” regarding his Pittodrie future.
However, with the lower leagues drawing to a conclusion last weekend, head coach Robinson – who only joined Aberdeen in March – has ordered all of the Dons’ loaned-out youngsters back to Cormack Park so he can assess them himself before the end of the top-flight campaign.
This also includes Aberdeen’s Cove Rangers loan trio, defenders Lewis Carrol, 18, and Cooper Masson, 17, and attacker Joseph Teasdale, 17.
Robinson said: “I have brought the boys back.
“We had a practice game – an in-house game – and I think it’s really, really important that myself as a manager gets to see the players who are out on loan.
“When I first came in, my sole focus was on trying to get some stability into the first team.
“But I’ve managed this week, during the game, to look at some of the boys that have been out on loan, at Inverness and Cove.
“I (also) went to the Cove game last Saturday to look at the boys.
“Because it’s very important that I get a flavour.”
‘Certainly’, says Robinson on potential for Bavidge, Stewart, Duncan rethink
Bavidge and Stewart had spent the second half of last season on loan at Caley Thistle before joining ICT again for the full 2025/26 campaign.
This term, striker Bavidge – who has made five appearances for Aberdeen’s first team in the past – played 48 games for Inverness (30 starts), netting 10 times in League One for the champions, with a further 10 counters in the Challenge Cup.
Midfielder Stewart also played 48 times for ICT (34 starts), with six League One goals among his eight in all competitions, plus seven assists (all competitions).
Attacker Duncan has made 53 appearances for Aberdeen since his debut in 2020.
At Ross County this term, he played 30 times across the Championship and Scottish Cup, and scored twice in the second-tier – in back-to-back matches last month – recording four league assists.
The P&J understands duo Bavidge and Stewart have already both been offered permanent deals at Caley Thistle – but any decision will hinge on whether an Aberdeen rethinks sees them offered fresh contracts after all.
Asked whether there could be a Dons change of thinking on any of Bavidge, Stewart or Duncan, Dons boss Robinson replied: “Certainly.”
He added Aberdeen – who hope to secure mathematical Premiership safety at home to Dundee United on Saturday – will “speak about that in the next week or so”.
Aberdeen must ‘push forward’ their own academy products – Robinson
There has already been one Dons youngster contract U-turn this season.
Midfielder Findlay Marshall signed a new two-year deal after a sparkling loan stint at Championship Arbroath, having been told by ex-Reds boss Jimmy Thelin last summer he could find a new club.
Aberdeen’s signing policy in recent years has been focused on buying up talented young project players from overseas markets.
But Robinson feels they must “push forward” their own homegrown projects going forward.
He said: “We always talk about projects and how we develop the football club – I think it’s very, very important that we don’t forget we’ve got very good projects in the academy, and we have to try and push those forward as often as we can.
“And I’ve got a bit more of a grip on that now than when I first came in.
“I’ll be speaking to those loan boys and we’ll be making decisions over the coming weeks on whether we keep them to be part of the squad, (or) to keep them to go back on loan and continue their development.
“But certainly I believe there’s a lot of good young players here that maybe in two or three years’ time can play a pivotal part in Aberdeen.”
[Source: Press and Journal]
