Aberdeen need team players not solo superstars if they are to challenge Celtic next season, according to defender Mark Reynolds.
The Dons squad which finished runners up to the Hoops in all three domestic competitions will lose four of its top performers this summer as Ryan Jack, Niall McGinn, Peter Pawlett and Ash Taylor depart under freedom of contract.
The task now for boss Derek McInnes - should he opt against taking up the vacant Sunderland job - will be to rebuild his Pittodrie side so they can compete on all fronts once more next term.
But centre-back Reynolds believes it is imperative for the Reds chances of continued success that those who come in over the next few weeks are capable of working as part of a collective unit.
He said: "I think it's been a squad that has been the product of a lot of work put in over a couple of years.
"This is the first time we have had to rebuild at all really.
"We've not really lost anyone we didn't want to lose for three or four years, so this is the first proper break-up.
"But we have got quality players coming in, we have faith in the manager and we're still an attractive proposition for a footballer wanting to be successful.
"I'm sure we'll be able to replace the lads leaving. We've always said the strength of Aberdeen is the team, not the individuals.
"We'll just need to bring in guys who buy into that team ethos and what we're doing and then I'm sure we'll be fine.
"The aim for us is always to push Celtic as hard as we can. We accept they are the form team, the champions, the team to chase. But we'll just try and get as close to them as we can and see where that takes us."
Aberdeen pushed the Hoops just about as close as any Scottish side has managed this term during Saturday's William Hill Scottish Cup final only to be shot down by Tom Rogic's stoppage-time winner.
But Reynolds reckons across the whole season his side proved wrong the doubters who said they would struggle to keep up with Celtic and Rangers this term.
"There is a lot of positives to take from the weekend," he said. "On another day, had we had a break of the ball or a slice of luck, we could have gone on to win the cup.
"But ifs and buts in football will kill you if you look at it that way.
"However, when you step back and look at the season it's still been a very successful campaign.
"At the start of the year a lot of people wrote us off, the media especially.
"They were saying Rangers were back and all the predictions in the papers were about Celtic or Rangers winning the league - we were binned off to third place.
"We felt that was a wee bit disrespectful to us.
"But we never said anything. We just rolled our sleeves up and did our talking on the park, which we've done. We secured second place with a bit of breathing space and were runners up in both the cups to a very good Celtic team, so there's no shame in that.
"It's still disappointing though as I'd have loved to have come away with a winners' medal and a trophy.
"We'll dust ourselves off, though, and go again next year."
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