Philippe Clement fires clear warning to Rangers striker as impressive Igamane wows fans with Nice double
The Moroccan striker enjoyed his most impressive outing in a Rangers jersey so far during the 4-1 demolition of OGC Nice in France
Philippe Clement has issued a warning to Cyriel Dessers that his place in the Rangers starting XI is no longer guaranteed after stand-in Hamza Igamane seized his big opportunity to impress by notching a brace and an assist in the 4-1 win over OGC Nice.
The Moroccan striker - a £2 million summer signing from FAR Rabat in his homeland - was a surprise inclusion for the Europa League clash in the Cote d’Azur after being handed just his third start for the Ibrox club in favour of Dessers.
And despite missing an early chance, the 22-year-old finally outlined why Rangers were willing to splash the cash on him with a star-studded performance after taking time to find his feet in Glasgow. He silenced any doubters at the Allianz Arena by teeing up Vaclav Cerny for the opening goal before two well-taken finishes of his own in either half.
Dessers, who has started the vast majority of games to date this season due to a shortage of attacking options, came off the bench in the closing stages and missed a gilt-edged chance to add to the scoreline from a near-open goal, somehow firing wide off the target from just a couple of yards out.
Asked if Dessers will need to up his game following Igamane’s eye-catching performance, Clement warned there is now greater competition for places with injury-prone Danilo also forcing his way back into the reckoning for domestic games.
“Yeah, for sure,” Clement admitted on TNT Sports. “There will be competition between them, and it’s about being who is in the best shape at one moment. That is never a decision for weeks or months, that’s showing it game by game.”
Explaining his decision to throw Igamane in at the deep end, Clement revealed his form in training over the past fortnight convinced the Belgian boss he merited a chance to step up. “Yes, it has been the case also,” Clement responded. “He came in with an injury, he missed all of the preparations, and he doesn’t have experience at this level.
“We are working hard on him with all the staff, physically, to make him stronger. He has made progression in that way, but also tactically in doing right things for the team. And that’s why I gave him a chance today because I saw the good things in the last couple of weeks. He’s been better and better in training, and it’s my job to give these chances at this stage to see what these players can bring.”