Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has thrown his full support behind Slobodan Rubezic after a disappointing outing for the centre-back against St Mirren.

Two defensive blunders put the Buddies into a commanding lead before he asked to be substituted, much to the disappointment of the Pittodrie crowd.

Rubezic missed training following the game against the Saints, but Thelin confirmed he will in the squad to face Hibs on Saturday, as Thelin seeks his first win against David Gray's side in three attempts.

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A report on Friday in Turkish media claimed the 24-year-old was set to sign for Sakaryaspor this weekend, but the Dons defender remains very much a part of Thelin's plans for now.

And after his afternoon to forget last weekend, Thelin has put an arm around the defender and insisted everyone is fully supporting the Montenegro international.

Speaking ahead of the trip to Hibs, Thelin explained: "Rubi had some small issues. He didn’t train the first training session after the game, but he has trained in the later part of the week, and he’s in the squad for tomorrow.

"We always support our players. Football is a game of emotions, everybody knows that. There are a lot of emotions out there, but we always support our players, as a footballer and as a person. We are in this together. The fans have been really great for us, and we keep moving.

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"He is a human being but he is a good professional player, and he had a lot of energy today. He was really sharp in the training session. It can happen to anyone.

"Sometimes you need a little bit of man management, sometimes it's more specific about the football, sometimes it can be something outside of football. We have a good relationship and support our players."

Thelin looked to reassure fans that the club remains firmly focused on long-term goals, despite the recent winless run being extended to 13 games in the Premiership.

The Swede reaffirmed his belief in the club's direction, with more potential additions to the squad expected before Monday's transfer deadline.

But all focus is on ending the dire run of draws and defeats that have seen the Dons pulled into a proper fight for third place, with Hibs able to turn a 25-point gap in November on the Reds into just a two-point deficit with victory.

Thelin added: "Sometimes it’s good to see and understand the people who support support the club and also be proud of taking the responsibility to try to navigate the club for a stronger future.

"I have a strong belief. I speak with the chairman since day one, sometimes once a week, with Alan (Burrows) and Steven (Gunn), the rest of the board, my staff, the players, we all have a clear picture of what we want to achieve and how we want to look in the future.

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"It’s a long term process from the beginning, nothing has changed. The parts that have changed are the results, it’s not been as well as we hoped for. We are still in a strong position. We need to turn the trend around, and we don’t like to use excuses, but we have to be strong and keep the belief.

"Nothing has dropped in the belief and the passion we have to create a strong future for the club. We keep pushing every day. Everybody’s working so hard in every department.

"So the most important thing, as I said from day one, is sometimes when you’re trying to create something, you change parts or something because you think you have to to be better in the future, it can be a little bit shaky, but keep the belief and do it together.

"To me it’s how strong a club we can be. The togetherness and keep the direction, and that’s what we’re doing."

Aberdeen are still looking to get some late deals over the line before the close of the window on Monday. Thelin said: "The market is there and we are trying to achieve some parts but also have a strong belief in the players we have.

"Some players have been a bit out of performance but we have to bring them back so we can be more stable together. Some players are taking small steps in the right direction so let's see. We have some specific targets and maybe we will find them but we are always trying to improve the team in training and improvement."

Thelin confirmed there were no new injury absences, with Jamie McGrath, Gavin Molloy, Ester Sokler and Jack Milne all absent for Saturday's trip to Leith.