NEW Morton signing Lawrence Shankland has revealed that ex-Ton striker Declan McManus sold him on his loan move to Cappielow.

Aberdeen starlet Shankland penned a loan deal at Morton until the end of the season after cancelling his previous spell at Renfrewshire rivals St Mirren earlier than planned.

And while he hasn’t had a chance to pick the brains of Dons boss and former Morton midfielder Derek McInnes about the move, the Scotland Under-21s ace insists former team-mate McManus gave a glowing recommendation about the Greenock outfit — explaining how easy Shankland will find it to fit in.

Speaking exclusively to the Telegraph, Shankland said: “I never actually spoke to the gaffer because while it was all getting done, he was on a flight to Dubai with Aberdeen.

“I know a few of the boys who are there and I spoke to Declan McManus. I spoke to Dec the last time there was interest from Morton before I went to St Mirren last year, and that’s kind of stayed in my mind.

"And how positive the gaffer was, it was always in my mind that I’d come here.

“Dec just said it’s a good club to be at, and obviously he did really well here. He said the gaffer is great to work with, and it’s a good set of boys who are mostly still here from when he played.” Shankland met up with his new team-mates at Parklea yesterday morning, and already believes he will settle in. 

And the striker was particularly pleased with Ton’s position in the league.

He said: “It’s a good move for myself and with Morton doing so well in the league, I’m coming into a good club, in a good position and a good team.

"I was training with the boys for the first time yesterday and it was a good tempo, which I enjoyed.”

The 21-year-old insists he was eager to join up at Cappielow the minute he heard Ton boss Jim Duffy had renewed his interest in his services.

He added: “It was more or less when I found out that I’d be moving on [from St Mirren], we started fishing about and I got my name around a few clubs.

“Then I got the phone call [from Duffy], and I was keen to make it happen and get here and get started.”

He laughed: “I thought about the rivalry a wee bit, but it was just about whether or not I’d get abuse from the Morton fans!

"I would expect it off a few people, but if I don’t get it that’ll be a bonus. It wasn’t too big an influence on my position, I wasn’t too worried about it.”

Asked what he can bring to the team in terms of goal threat, he replied: “I’m a link-up player and I like to bring others into the game.

Running the channels probably isn’t my sort of game but hopefully I can get a partner up front and we can work well together.

“I’ll get myself into decent goal scoring positions and hopefully get some good service from the wide men and get a few goals.”

The promising forward is still contracted at Pittodrie until the end of the season, and he admits that he’s hoping to catch the eye of his manager Derek McInnes.

Shankland is hopeful that he can make enough of an impact at Morton to make it difficult for McInnes to ignore him.

He concluded: “I’m still contracted to Aberdeen now until the end of the season.

“Hopefully I can do well here, enough to get a new contract there, and try to get another crack at it up there.”