Former Aberdeen midfielder Neale Cooper believes the Dons must be ready to pounce if Celtic collapse following confirmation manager Ronny Deila will leave at the end of the season.
The Glasgow club confirmed Deila’s departure with former Everton and Manchester United manager David Moyes and Deila’s predecessor Neil Lennon among the early favourites to take the helm.
Celtic, beaten on penalties by Rangers in Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final, have an eight-point lead on the Dons at the top of the Scottish Premiership with five matches remaining.
But Cooper, who won the league with the Dons in 1984 and 1985, believes Derek McInnes’ side must do all they can to crank up the pressure on the misfiring Hoops by winning their final five matches, starting against St Johnstone tomorrow night.
He said: “You never know, there could be a negative reaction at Celtic. I have said it all season, they are not the Celtic of old.
“They don’t have enough fighters in the team.
“I remember in my Aber-deen team I was playing alongside men I knew would run the extra mile for victory.
“The current Aberdeen team have got a strong team spirit, but they can’t afford to falter now.
“After being knocked out of the Scottish Cup, the league is all Celtic have to focus on. They are eight points ahead and they will want to finish the season strongly but all Aberdeen can do is win their last five games.
“That is not impossible, but it will be hard.”
If Celtic do go on to win the cham-pionship, Cooper believes the Dons will look back on the season with a sense of regret.
He added: “Perhaps they will look back on this season as a missed opportunity if it doesn’t happen for them over the final five games. Celtic supporters and former players have been highly critical of the team this season.
“They have been knocked out of both cups and had a poor season by their standards.
“But they are still eight points clear at the top of the table and they will want to close out the title as soon as possible. No one knows what will happen, but I’m sure Celtic will have a much stronger squad next season.
“I was also very impressed with Rangers on Sunday and they will strengthen in the summer.
“Mark Warburton is a good manager and he has them playing some wonderful football. It will be difficult for Aberdeen next season, but they will be looking forward to the challenge.”