Russell Anderson, the Aberdeen club captain, has endured an extended period of injury time but the 36-year-old knows it is now crunch time as far as his future at Pittodrie is concerned.

Anderson, whose contract expires this summer, suffered a knee injury against St Johnstone earlier in the campaign and has been a frustrated observer on the sidelines.

The former Scotland defender, who lifted last year's Scottish League Cup as Aberdeen ended a 19-year trophy drought, is making strides on the road to recovery and knows the next couple of weeks will determine whether he remains with his home city club or not.

"I have put a lot of thought into it," said Anderson who is in his second spell with Aberdeen following stints down south with Sunderland., Plymouth Argyle, Burnley and Derby County. "Whether I will be a part of the squad or not will become a lot clearer over the next two or three weeks. I have loved having my time back at the club. I appreciate I have not played a lot this season and it will come down to a conversation I have with the manager. It will be a two-way dialogue because that is how these things go. We will just have to wait and see."

Since Anderson picked up his injury, he has watched the dandy Dons give Celtic a decent run for their money in the SPFL Premiership as Derek McInnes's revitalised side moved towards their best finish in the top flight in 21 years.

"I'm fit again now but it has been a really frustrating season, especially as the team have been doing so well," added Anderson, who was continuing his rehabilitation last night in an under-20s match against Heart of Midlothian. "You want to be out the on pitch, you want to be contributing, playing some kind of part. I'm finally back to the stage where I'm playing again. I've had one game for the under-20s. Hopefully I can get some game time for the first team before the season finishes."

The nature of Anderson's injury has meant he has even missed out on those Aberdeen golf days that do plenty for team morale, both individually and collectively.

"There are some players you wouldn't let anywhere near a golf course, mind you," noted Anderson with a smile.

There are probably some footballers that shouldn't be let loose on a football pitch either.

"It is one of those situations when you are injured then obviously things change and you are not allowed to play as much golf because of your rehabilitation," added Anderson, who plays off a handicap of 17. "It's not ideal to be out on the course when you are coming back from injury. This season I have only managed to play one round. That has been difficult but the season has almost drawn to a close and I am back fit now. The clubs are definitely out now and I would like to play a fair bit over the close season. Golf can make for a good team bonding session, allowing us to get away from it all. We spend enough time with each other, you'd think we'd want to go our separate ways, but we enjoy being together on the golf course."