Former Dons forward Duncan Shearer believes Aberdeen’s top goalscorer for the past three seasons Adam Rooney won’t be happy to play understudy to Stevie May at Pittodrie.
May has started both games since joining the Reds in a £400,000 move from Preston, netting a brace in Saturday’s 2-1 victory against Dundee.
Rooney, who has recently recovered from a thigh strain, has been named on the bench for the past two games with May expected to get the nod to start against Partick Thistle at Firhill this weekend.
Shearer, who scored 79 goals in 194 appearances for the Dons during the 1990s, believes the Dons are blessed with great attacking options but said: “It is going to be difficult for Derek McInnes to keep Adam and Stevie happy.
“It doesn’t look like his intention is to use them as a partnership.
“One of them is going to be unhappy and at the moment that looks like being Adam.
“But Adam will know if he works hard enough he can win the position back.
“He may think it is a fight he can’t win but Derek is not daft. He knows it will be difficult to keep two centre forwards like that happy if one isn’t playing every week.
“I believe Adam is happy at Pittodrie but at his age and with the amount of goals he has scored in the last couple of years for Aberdeen he won’t want to be sitting on the bench.
“He is also on the fringes of the Ireland set-up and he will know he needs to be scoring goals regularly to get that first cap.
“As a player you train to play on a Saturday and if you are continuously on the bench it gets you a bit down.
“You try to be upbeat for your teammates but every forward wants to be the one who puts the ball in the back of the net and getting the cheers from the supporters.
“Goalscorers like Adam live and breathe scoring goals.”
Shearer, meanwhile, was disappointed that no Aberdeen players were included in Gordon Strachan’s squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Lithuania and Malta.
He said: “I think it is ridiculous.
“I understand why Graeme Shinnie may not be getting in at left back as we are very strong in that position but he has played most of his time at Aberdeen in midfield.
“Gordon Strachan has a difficult job and Graeme Shinnie is not the type to have a moan about it.
“He will get his head down and I’m sure somewhere along the line he will get his chance.”