Shanks is a top gunner
Ayr skipper Jamie Adams has hailed striker Lawrence Shankland as the best he has ever played with.
United face a battle to retain their 26-goal hitman in January with Swansea set to table a bid.
Adams is not surprised the vultures are circling and said: “I’ve been lucky enough to play with a few good strikers in my career.
“Stephen Dobbie was also a team-mate of mine but Shanks is right up there, if not ahead of anyone I’ve played with.
“He has been outstanding and managed to improve on what he did last season.
“Shanks knows the team also helps him with the players we have and the way we play. It’s up to the club and Lawrence to settle on what happens.
“Right now we’re enjoying every game we get to play with him and he’s enjoying every game with us.
“He’s loving his football and we’re loving playing with him, it’s a good match.
“We don’t view this season as a fairytale. The boys knew how good they were when they came up.
“We’ve added players and kept the team together from last season but we’re not getting carried away.
“It’s a case of enjoying each game and seeing where it takes us.”
Shankland and Ayr were left frustrated as their live telly clash with Inverness bit the dust just 40 minutes before kick off on Friday.
Ref Craig Thomson pulled the plug as gale force winds and driving rain battered Somerset Park.
Adams said: “We are disappointed but if the keeper can’t kick the ball out of his box it’s the right decision. I was involved in game like that once and it was a shambles.”
Ayr boss Ian McCall said: “We’re disappointed but our boys have reached the stage where we don’t want weather being a leveller and it would have been.”