DEREK WHYTE, the former Aberdeen captain, believes the club must capitalise on their Middle East connections after their winter break to Dubai.

The Pittodrie club returned home yesterday after almost a week in the UAE on a winter training camp. During their sojourn, they took part in a Q&A session and golf day, while around 200 supporters turned out on Sunday to witness them defeat Uzbek side Bunyodkor 2-1 at their Jebel Ali base.

Aberdeen submitted an application last week for a new training ground and stadium, thought to be worth an estimated £50m, on the outskirts of the city. To get the project of the ground, it will require cooperation from various parties and investors, and Whyte, who lives in Dubai, believes utilising their presence in the wealthy Emirate could be the key to a more prosperous future.

“There were 200 people watching Aberdeen play so it was a great PR exercise for the club,” he said. “Obviously the oil and gas industry is huge over here [the Emirates] so there are a lot of expat Dons supporters who live in this part of the world.

“It was the same for Celtic who were here last week. They have a massive supporters club – the Dubai Hoops – which is run by a guy called Martin McGinty. I just think it was great to see both Aberdeen and Celtic come here. The fans they have here don’t have the time to go and see them play in Scotland every week. So they’ll have loved going to the training and seeing them play.

“Celtic didn’t play a game but they opened the doors and let fans in to watch them and that’s brilliant PR. The expats with kids were able to take them along to meet the players. I know Aberdeen still don’t have their own training ground so it’s great for them to get some good work done. Maybe that’s another aspect of this trip that could be useful for them as there are some wealthy guys over here.

“I know some guys myself who have a right few quid, a few of them who love Aberdeen. So I think there could be real business opportunities over here for the club if that’s what they wanted.

“Having said that, the English Premier League is the place a lot of people want to be because of the TV money involved. But there are fans who love clubs and wouldn’t necessarily be looking for a return on their investment. But Aberdeen being in Dubai could open doors.”

Whyte now works in sales for a Japanese firm after leaving the world of football behind him. He was once involved in academy football out in Dubai before switching careers and he reckons it could be an untapped resource for clubs such as Aberdeen to pick up the odd gem.

“Another aspect of it is that there are loads of soccer training camps over here. Arsenal are here with Man United having a camp too as well as other independent ones,” said the 48-year-old. “I actually used to help run a soccer school and there are lots of good kids here. If Aberdeen or Celtic got just one player from that connection then it could be worthwhile for them. Maybe a kid here, whose dad is an Aberdeen fan would want to go back if the club wanted him. This is very beneficial.”

Whyte has now settled in the UAE and admits he never sees himself returning to the game he starred in for Aberdeen and Celtic.

“Last week I was in Kuwait from Sunday until Wednesday night so it’s not like it’s an easy life. But coming here has been great for me. Getting this job has been great because I didn’t think I’d get it and I did. I’m 48 now but I proved to myself I could learn something new. For me that’s a good example for other footballers.

“When I finished playing I thought I was going to be a good manager. But the lifespan of a manager is 12 months if you’re lucky. So I thought about it after Thistle and decided I wanted to get a real job so I didn’t spend my life worrying all the time. But that seems like a different life.

“I’ll never go back to football now. Even if Aberdeen or Celtic came calling for me I’d say no. I work for a very good company that looks after me so for me football is something I did in the past.”