He said, “This really is a massive signing for us and a big step forward for the club.

“All the credit has to go to the manager for getting Jody here on a short-term deal initially.

“Since then, Jody has been impressed by the club and we couldn’t fail to be impressed by him.

“I know he hasn’t taken this decision lightly and it shows his commitment that he has signed for two years and is moving his family north.

“We know we’re getting a player in the top bracket and it may be a strange thing to say about a guy who has played in the Premiership at the highest level, but he’s still got his best years ahead of him.

“All the players at the club will benefit from his experience and Jody is a big part of the jigsaw we are putting together.

“The manager is on his holidays, but was still phoning at 5 am because he is so excited about this deal.”

For his part, Morris didn’t want his last kick as a Saints player to be his penalty miss against Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat.

He said, “This felt like the right thing to do. I want to repay the club for the faith they’ve shown in me and the fans for welcoming me so much.

“I’d already decided before the cup semi-final I wanted to stay. The penalty is something that will never leave me but, hopefully, we can make up for that with success next season and get promotion.

“I’ve really enjoyed working under manager Derek McInnes and the players have been great to me. I didn’t play as many games as I would have liked last season, but there’s a lot more to come because I know I’ll be a lot fitter after getting a pre-season.

“There were a couple of other offers, but I didn’t want to go any further with them because I knew I wanted to come here. I feel the club can push on for promotion and that we’ve got a really great chance of getting to the Premier League.”