Aberdeen give Leven permission to talk to St Johnstone

Aberdeen person fixed coach Peter Leven support to speak to St Johnstone astir their managerial vacancy, squad leader Jimmy Thelin has confirmed.

The Perth nine are seeking a successor to Craig Levein, who was sacked aft a tally of 4 consecutive defeats.

St Johnstone are besides speaking to Larne head Tiernan Lynch, while interim leader Andy Kirk has expressed his readiness to return nan occupation permanently.

"He has support to talk pinch them," Thelin said of erstwhile Dons caretaker leader Leven. "He's a bully coach and it's bully that our bully unit get eyes connected them.

"It's up to him, but truthful acold truthful good, he's focusing present for nan crippled tomorrow."

The 41-year-old Leven has had 2 spells arsenic Aberdeen caretaker since joining nan Pittodrie coaching unit successful June past year.

The erstwhile Kilmarnock and MK Dons midfielder was besides adjunct head astatine Kilmarnock, Dynamo Brest and Orenburg earlier his move to Pittodrie.

"It's ever a rustle erstwhile you suffer staff," Thelin said. "We'd miss him, of course, but we person to find solutions for nan future.

"When bully group do bully things, they get eyes connected them. We want him to enactment here, but it's besides bully that he gets nickname from different clubs arsenic well."

Aberdeen midfielder Leighton Clarkson added that "we'd each beryllium gutted to suffer him", stressing "what he's done pinch a batch of nan players erstwhile he was interim head and what he's doing now".

"He's a large characteristic and a large coach," he said. "His knowledge of nan crippled is really good, nan measurement he wants to play shot and nan measurement he communicates pinch each nan lads is bully and he's nan 1 who does each nan other sessions and he's been a large portion of my journey."

Meanwhile, Lynch is owed to return complaint of Larne's sojourn to Cliftonville successful Northern Ireland's Premiership connected Friday evening.

The Belfast-born 44-year-old, who was antecedently adjunct astatine Glentoran, has been successful complaint since 2017 but has caught nan oculus aft back-to-back titles and advancement to nan Conference League to go nan first Northern Irish nine to scope nan main tie of a European competition.

Ayr United's Scott Brown had been linked pinch nan occupation astatine McDiarmid Park, but nan erstwhile Celtic and Scotland midfielder has since signed a statement hold pinch nan Scottish Championship club.

Former Northern Ireland striker Kirk and adjunct Alex Cleland will return complaint of St Johnstone for a 2nd clip arsenic Premiership leaders Celtic sojourn connected Saturday having drawn their first game, 3-3 distant to Ross County, past weekend.