Aberdeen legend Joe Harper has paid an emotional tribute to "lovable rogue" Neale Cooper after his former teammate passed away aged 54.

"Gothenburg Great" Cooper was admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in the early hours of Sunday morning after being found injured outside his home following a fall but died on Monday afternoon.

Cooper played the role of understudy to Dons goal machine Harper, who wold go onto become the club's all-time record goalscorer, as he came through the ranks at Pittodrie in the late 1970s before himself becoming a household name in the years to come.

Asked to sum up his friend and former teammate, Harper said: "Just a lovable, lovable rogue actually.

"He was a rogue in the nicest possible way, he would play tricks on players in the dressing room.

"Not a bad bone in him, he would help anybody who asked.

"Honestly, he is going to be such a loss."

After Harper departed Pittodrie for the second time in 1981, Cooper would go on to win the European Cup Winners' Cup with the Reds as he developed into a combative midfield force under Sir Alex Ferguson's watch.

Harper lauded Cooper as a talent any team across the globe would want to sign at his peak.

He added: "Any team would love a player like Neale Cooper.

"His enthusiasm, his passion, his will to win, and we all know about his tackling.

"All over the world, everybody knew about him."