Celtic: Aberdeen's Scott McKenna's rise 'a surprise' - Gemmill
- Published
Scott McKenna captained Scotland against Mexico in June
The speed at which Aberdeen defender Scott McKenna has become a Celtic target has been a "surprise", admits Scotland under-21 coach Scot Gemmill.
Celtic have had a £3.5m bid rejected for the defender, who only broke into the Aberdeen team in September.
McKenna was a mainstay of Gemmill's squad until making his Scotland debut in March, and has since captained the senior team against Mexico in June.
"The speed of his progression has been phenomenal," Gemmill told BBC Scotland.
"It's a real testament to Scott's character and determination.
"The big challenge for him is to enjoy having people talking and writing about him, but still have that hunger and determination to get better and not let his level dip."
Aberdeen are believed to have no desire to sell McKenna, 21, who is currently recovering from a hamstring injury.
Hull City had three bids rejected in January, while Swansea were also interested in the centre-back, who signed a contract extension in March, which runs to 2023.
"He's very balanced and professional and he has always shown a capacity to learn," Gemmill added.
"But players rarely get to choose which club they move to, so Scott has to let everybody else worry about that."