THE Aberdeen legacy of Sir Alex Ferguson still reverberates around the world with football people who remain in awe of what he achieved when he was in charge of the Dons.
It was a principal reason that Ylber Ramadani jumped at the chance of joining the club as the Fergie factor kicked-in, making himself aware of the long list of title and trophy wins Sir Alex brought to Pittodrie.
Ramadani, Goodwin’s first signing of the summer – although he had to wait until this week to join his team-mates in training – strolled through Wednesday night’s Premier Sports Cup win over Dumbarton and impressed his new boss.
The defensive midfielder’s £330,000 move from MTK Budapest took time to complete because of visa issues but he kept himself in tip-top condition with a twice-daily training regime.
It meant that, despite concerns by Goodwin that ninety minutes might be beyond him, the 26-year-old never looked in discomfort as goals from Ross McCrorie and Matty Kennedy sealed the win over the beleaguered League Two side.
After praise from his new manager for his performance, Ramadani revealed it was his knowledge of Sir Alex's eight years at Pittodrie, that swung the move for him.
He said: "I have known about Aberdeen for many years and know everything about the club. I knew how the club plays and what the clubs wants for the future.
"I am more of a physical player and like to play with the ball to make good passes for the team. To build the game from the back - this is my lovely job.
"I chose directly to come to Aberdeen and the transfer was very quick. I am a fan of Sir Alex Ferguson and I chose directly to go there.
"Even my father told me to join Aberdeen.”
German-born Ramadani kicked off his pro career a decade ago with second tier Kosovo outfit Ferizaj and gained experience with five other clubs before he came onto Goodwin’s radar.
He believed he would settle-in quickly in his new environment having been given a warm welcome on his debut.
"I feel very good and I saw the fans and the ambition of the club,” he insisted. “I enjoyed it.
"The players have helped me and are very friendly. Even the manager has helped me a lot and gave me confidence so that I can go in the team so far.
"I trained twice a day as it was stressful waiting for my papers to come through. Finally, I am here and I am enjoying it with my family so much.”
However, the 26-year-old would have been surprised by how many chances the Dons missed as they kept their opponents on the back foot for virtually the entire 90 minutes.
Striker Christian Ramirez missed a series of close-change opportunities while new defender Anthony Stewart and Kennedy saw their efforts rebound off the bar.
Ramadani said: “Creating so many chances was good for us because we will need this when the league starts.
"We played well and did what the manager asked of us.
"It was a very encouraging start for me.”
Meanwhile, Goodwin is keen to tie down towering teenage centre-back Jack Milne on an extended contract.
He featured as a substitute against Dumbarton at Pittodrie after coming off the bench in the victory over Peterhead on Sunday and the Reds boss rates him highly.
Youth academy graduate Milne also featured off the bench for his first team debut in the weekend’s cup win over Peterhead.
Goodwin said: “Jack is 19-years-old, six-foot-four and one of the fittest members of the group. We need to now put kilos on him and bulk him up a bit.
“Jack will be a top, top centre-half. I have absolutely no doubt about that.”
