Inverness the priority for Shinnie
Inverness full-back Graeme Shinnie claims he is focusing too much on his club's hectic schedule to be distracted by speculation over his own future.
Shinnie has been linked with moves to the likes of Birmingham, Rangers and Aberdeen, who visit the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium on Sunday.
The 23-year-old is out of contract in the summer and his agent recently angered Inverness manager John Hughes by stating that the player would move on in the summer.
That could prompt Inverness to listen carefully to any bids that come in for Shinnie in January but the versatile player is only looking ahead to his team's upcoming fixtures.
"I'm just focusing every day on trying to become a better player," he said.
"I'm learning new things under the management team and looking to do well on Saturdays as well.
"I haven't been too happy with the way personally I have played in the last couple of games so I need to get my own form back up and that comes with working hard on the training pitch.
"It's a time of year where you just have to get your head down and work hard. Games come thick and fast. It's a time of year you have to be ready for and I'm sure all the boys are."
Inverness will leapfrog Aberdeen if they win on Sunday and Shinnie expects a close encounter.
"It always seems to be that one goal, tight games, and we need to make sure we are on the team that comes out with that goal on top," he said.
Meanwhile, Aberdeen striker Adam Rooney believes keeping the same old faces around Pittodrie is the secret to Derek McInnes' Dons success.
Rooney was one of four Reds players to pen new deals this week and the Irishman is now hoping McInnes will be able to rebuff any bids coming his way in January for his top players.
Aberdeen go into Sunday's clash joint second in the Scottish Premiership standings and Rooney says keeping a settled squad will only help them maintain their title challenge.
He told RedTV: "You do not want to be at a club where players are coming and going during every transfer window, where there are always new faces appearing in the dressing room.
"Even during the summer there, we only had a few new boys coming in and I think that is why we managed to build on last season and hopefully we can continue to improve during the rest of this campaign and beyond."
Rooney tops Aberdeen's scoring charts with 17 goals from 24 outings this season and the 26-year-old admits he is in the form of his life.
"In terms of goals per games this is the best form I have probably been in," he said.
"When I was at Inverness a couple of years ago I had a good run as well. Hopefully I can build on what I have done so far this season."
Source: PA
