Hartlepool UNITED will have to act fast if they want to land Evan Horwood.

Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen have made a move for the defender, and he trained in Scotland yesterday.

Horwood had been training with Pools since the squad returned for pre-season last Thursday and has been asked to join the squad on a pre-season tour of Holland they are due to fly out for tomorrow.

First, however, he will hold talks with Aberdeen today.

The 24-year-old has impressed Pool’s director of sport Chris Turner and new first-team coach Mick Wadsworth, but so far he has not agreed terms on a contract with his hometown club.

That alerted Dons’ manager Mark McGhee, who is desperate to add to a threadbare squad which has only 11 of last season’s first team still at Pittodrie.

Horwood has been looking for a club since being released by Carlisle United and Turner hopes to field him in friendlies in Holland against Almere City and FC Den Bosch, although the decision to travel to the Netherlands now rests with the defender.

The lure of playing at Victoria Park in League One is an attractive one for the Hartlepool- born left-back, but an opportunity to again play at the highest level in Scotland is also likely to appeal.

Fellow trialists Paul Murray and Fabian Yantorno will head for the Netherlands.

Murray worked under Wadsworth at Carlisle and in Portugal, among other places, and is a free agent after two years at Shrewsbury.

Yantoro, an attacking midfielder, was with Wadsworth at Gretna in the SPL with Horwood and earned a move to Hibs, only for his career to stall because of a knee injury.

Dutchman Kevin Bobson will also meet up with Pools next week. The winger is a former Ajax youth-teamer who has played for NAC Breda, Espanyol and Red Bull Salzburg.

He has been a free agent since leaving Red Bull in January.

In 2005 he was called into the Dutch national squad for World Cup qualifiers with Finland and Macedonia but never appeared.

■ Terry Mitchell, the club’s director of youth, has left Victoria Park after being appointed assistant manager at Gateshead.