Maligned Rangers striker set Ibrox challenge in bid to prove he can be Danny Rohl's 'main man'
Heavily criticised Rangers striker has yet to win over supporters and justify his lofty price tag - despite scoring goals on the big occasions
Youssef Chermiti has been told he must work on his consistency in order to become a top Rangers striker. That’s according to Kenny Miller, who believes the former Everton man still has plenty to achieve before he can be classed as a successful signing.
Former Light Blues sporting director Kevin Thelwell splashed out £8m to bring the much-maligned forward to Ibrox last summer, but he has yet to fully win over supporters due to a lack of goals scored.
However, the 21-year-old has been the man for the big occasion, having netted twice in Rangers’ Old Firm victory back in January before adding to his tally with a hat-trick over Premiership leaders Hearts earlier this month.
Ex-Ibrox hitman Miller reckons Chermiti isn’t the “main man” up front after facing fresh competition for a starting spot with January recruit Ryan Naderi, but reckons he can still flourish in Glasgow if he makes improvements to key areas of his game.
Speaking to GlasgowWorld and Spreadex Sports, Miller confessed: “I wouldn't say he's the main man. If you look at the Old Firm game a few weeks back, it was Chermiti who was given the nod and he got the goals. A big game against Hearts two weeks ago and Chermiti is the one that comes up with a hat-trick.
“So what I would say about him is I still don't think he's found his feet entirely as a Rangers player or a Rangers striker but he's popped up with some big goals in the last couple of months. That doesn't mean that you've made it as a Rangers striker. There's still a lot of things that you need to achieve.
“You need to help your team become a winning team first and the goals that he's scored, if he can continue that big game record it'll definitely stand him good stead over the next couple of games that's for sure.
“But yeah I still think he'll know himself that he needs to improve his levels. He's still a young striker. There's a lot of work to be done, there's a lot of improvement to be done. You're hoping that the goals that he’s scored against Celtic and Hearts will settle him and maybe make him feel a bit more comfortable within the team.
“Again when you're a striker and you're scoring goals, particularly when you're scoring hat-tricks in big games, going into a top of the table clash must give you a bit of confidence and belief. I also think it's not just about him having belief and confidence, it's his team mates as well actually believing in him and that he's the guy to lead the line.
“It's really interesting because (Ryan) Naderi has hit the ground running, scored on his debut and now there's real competition up front for Rangers. Naderi has come from a lower level in Germany so he's still got to prove himself like Chermiti that you can be the main man to carry that number nine shirt for Rangers and lead you to trophies and league titles.
“So it's a big challenge and they’ve both got a lot to prove, but it's not just about them, it's about the whole team.”