TOPI PLAYS DOWN TOLL OF CONSTANT SCHEDULE

ABERDEEN winger Topi Keskinen insists it's no big deal that he's on his 18th month without a break - and he won't get one until after the European Under-21 Championship, which runs from June 11-28.

- By Scott Burns

break was back in December 2023, which came after HJK’s domestic season was followed by Conference League group stage fixtures, which ironically saw him play against Aberdeen.

The 22-year-old Finn played half a season for HJK in his homeland and kept going when he joined the Dons for the start of their campaign last August.

It has been non-stop for the £800,000 signing, but he is looking for one last push with Finland's young guns, who have qualified for the Euros for only the second time in their history.

Keskinen will head to the tournament in Slovakia full of confidence after helping Aberdeen shock Celtic in last month's Scottish Cup final.

He said: “I knew already that it’s going to mean I have a long season, but I’ve done better than I thought I'd do.

“Mentally it’s even harder than physically. But it’s good to have so many games, you don’t have that much time to think about it.