Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes believes the club is lucky to have forward Adam Rooney.
The Irishman, who joined from Oldham Athletic in January 2014, can take his goalscoring tally for Aberdeen to 50 against Kilmarnock this weekend.
The 27-year-old former Caley Thistle attacker netted his 49th goal in 90 appearances for the Dons by converting a late penalty in Saturday’s 1-0 win against Hearts at Pittodrie.
Rooney has scored in six of his previous seven matches for the Dons and McInnes hopes he can continue his good form at Rugby Park this weekend.
McInnes said: “We are lucky to have Adam. His game is in a good place at the minute and he is playing very well.
“He contributes with his goals, but I think the rest of the players and our supporters recognise how much of a team player he is.
“He is a natural goal-scorer with good anticipation. He finds space in the penalty area, but there is much more to his game than that.
“We don’t need to carry him. He gives a performance and a good level of effort every time he takes to the pitch.”
First-team opportunities for David Goodwillie and on-loan Red Star Belgrade attacker Josh Parker have been restricted by Rooney’s relentless scoring.
And McInnes believes Rooney, who is hoping to be part of the Republic of Ireland’s squad for this summer’s European championship finals, has been instrumental in the club’s recent success.
The Aberdeen manager added: “To have a team that is challenging and successful, it takes a lot different things to make it happen.
“One thing we do need is a regular goalscorer. We can be as good as we want behind that but we have got to have a goal threat and Adam has certainly given us one.
“He has shown that throughout his time with us and hopefully there is a lot more to come from him in the years ahead.
“His goalscoring rate is fantastic and we are lucky to have him.
“Having someone who scores on a regular basis is vital if we are going to have a decent campaign and Adam has done that since we signed him almost two years ago.”