'A lot to like' - Pundit delight at Rangers signing after mystery amid love-hate issue for teammate

Hamza Igamane’s emergence as a factor in the Rangers first team has provided “a lot of positivity” over his summer signing, says Derek Ferguson.

The Moroccan striker wasn’t even involved in a match-day squad until the Old Firm derby defeat to Celtic at the start of the month (1 September) but has already shown enough to help explain why he was bought despite not being fit to contribute straight away.

The injury concerns which kept the 21-year-old out of action out of the first team picture until two months after his arrival, and even out of group training for the first month [4 Lads Had A Dream, 30 July] remains a mystery to Ferguson, but he is glad the youngster is now involved to provide a necessary alternative to Cyriel Dessers.

The Nigerian international has regularly been left as the last man standing up front for Philippe Clement thanks to injury, but divides opinion, so Ferguson hopes to see a lot more of Igamane in addition.

Speaking exclusively to Ibrox News he said: “I’m just hoping over the course of the next few months he gets up to full fitness. I’m not sure actually what the injury was, but I think there’s a lot of positivity around the club, and with the fans, that we’ve got this young guy.

“And we need somebody because we’ve only got Dessers really up top and he’s sort of life Marmite to the supporters, you either love him or you hate him, Dessers.

“So it’s good he [Igamane] has come in. He’s a bit different, he looks as if he just plays off the cuff a little bit.

“There is a lot to like about the young man so hopefully this sports science the manager seems to implement quite a lot doesn’t interfere too much and we can see more of him on the park.”

Philippe Clement signing looks shrewd for Rangers

It is still very early days but Igamane has already provided glimpses of why Clement felt he had to pounce on his signing while it was possible this summer.

The forward was excellent off the bench at Dundee United on 15 September, making it a genuine blow that passport issues stopped him from travelling to Malmo for the Europa League opener in midweek [4 Lads Had A Dream, 26 September].

Dessers showed in the 2-0 victory on the continent on 26 September both why he shouldn’t be discounted just because Igamane has broken through, after putting in a largely-excellent performance on the night, and also why another option is clearly needed when Danilo has suffered so much with injury, by missing multiple strong chances.

The Nigerian and the Moroccan look like they could become a formidable one-two punch, and if the Brazilian can return to full fitness perhaps Clement was right not to move for the likes of Lawrence Shankland after all.

In other Rangers news, a Sky Sports was in disbelief after it was revealed what a pundit had texted into the studio over an incident at Ibrox.

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