RYAN Jack is a man with history very much on his mind, both the recent and the relatively distant.

His own history at Aberdeen is very much impacting upon his decision over his future at the club. His contract is up in the summer, and there are no shortage of suitors for his services. But the 25-year-old has been with the Granite City club since the age of eight. He is the captain, and the bonds he has forged with the club are not the type that are easily broken.

If he is to leave Pittodrie though, bowing out as the first Aberdeen skipper to lift the Scottish Cup since Alex McLeish way back in 1990 would be the way to do it.

Twenty-seven long years have passed since Big Eck kissed the famous old trophy and hoisted it skywards at Hampden for the Red Army to acclaim after a pulsating penalty-shootout victory over Celtic. It would be almost two years before Jack was even born, but he all-too keenly feels the weight of responsibility to end that drought for the fans who have followed the Dons through thick and thin ever since.

“When I got the captaincy off the manager and we had a chat, I said that being captain or not, I wanted to try and win more trophies for the club,” Jack said. “Growing up through the ranks at Aberdeen, you see clips of guys like Willie [Miller] and Alex McLeish. Obviously, I was lucky enough to play with Russell [Anderson]. They were legends at the club.

“When you get the captaincy of a club like Aberdeen, that’s what you envision. You want to be remembered for lifting a trophy. I’m no different so hopefully we can do all we can to try and get this cup.

“It has been a long time. A lot was made of it being too long to wait for a trophy before the League Cup in 2014. We hadn’t won silverware in so long before then. We have done well to get ourselves into this situation so we want to make the most of it.

“Whether the Scottish Cup final would be my last game for the club or not, I’m still going to do everything I can to try and win it.”

Lifting the Scottish Cup as captain of his side is still a long way off for Jack, with Neil Lennon’s Championship-winning Hibernian side to overcome at Hampden today before they can even think about taking on either Celtic or Rangers in the final.

The fact that the player has his admirers inside Ibrox is no secret, and Jack refused to shoot down the notion that he might be lining up in light blue next season.

“I’ve not heard anything,” he said. “For any matter, it will be between me, Aberdeen and the manager to sort that out. This week, it is all about trying to get the club to a cup final. It is not about my future or anyone else who is out of contract. There will be a right time and place for that.

“I have been with Aberdeen on a long journey. But what’s going to happen next year will sort itself out. I’m out of contract so I’m not sitting here saying it is comfortable and I don’t worry about it. Of course you do. But it is going to get sorted out soon.”