Rangers new signing urged to 'step up to the plate' as injury to key star leaves no room for bedding-in period

Former Rangers goalkeeper Cammy Bell reckons new striker Kevin Kelsy is the natural replacement for the injured Lawrence Shankland - and that he might have to ‘step up to the plate’ earlier than anticipated.

After captain Shankland hobbled off with a hamstring injury against Motherwell, manager Derek McInnes claimed it was very similar to a knock he picked up in January for Hearts. If once again, the Scotland international is out for two months, then Rangers will need someone to carry the goalscoring responsibility at the top end of the pitch. Shankland’s injury has come at unfortunate time as he was just starting to find his groove in a royal blue jersey, with three goals in two matches.

Bell believes £9.5m deadline day addition Kelsy could be the answer. The Venezuelan’s price tag suggests he hasn’t been signed to sit on the bench and now with Shankland out of the picture - as well as fellow marksman Youssef Chermiti who could miss the season with an ACL injury - he will have to produce the goods as soon as possible. German striker Ryan Naderi, who bagged the only goal of the game against Motherwell is another number nine option.

Rangers new boy to ‘step up to the plate’ in Shankland’s absence

Kelsy came on as a substitute at the weekend and was unlucky not to get off the mark after his second half shot struck the upright. Speaking on BBC Sounds’ Scottish Football Podcast, he’s been touted by Bell to replace Shankland - and his goals. He said: “It (the injury) must’ve been a huge disappointment to Lawrence Shankland. It was so disappointing to see him step off the pitch - and he knew straight away it was a bad one.

“It offered the opportunity for Naderi to come on and he grabbed that goal. Although, if you look at it, naturally you think Kevin Kelsy's going to be the one, certainly for the next couple of months that will have to step up to the plate. Someone will have to score those important goals because you can't rely on Lawrence Shankland anymore.”

No bedding in period for Kelsy

As history tells us, acclimatising to the Scottish game can take some longer than others. Kelsy has been a prolific goalscorer in the MLS for Portland Timbers, but there’s no guarantees that his form will continue in a different league. Bell went onto say that the striker may no longer have time to ‘find his feet’ due to Shankland’s injury.

He continued: “If you pay £9m for Kevin Kelsy, you would naturally think that he's going to be the one that's going to come in (for Shankland). He's just in the door, so it's not an ideal scenario for Derek McInnes and Rangers. They would have wanted to allow a little bit of time for Kevin Kelsy to find his feet in Scottish football - but he's not going to get that now.”

(The Scottish Football Social Club is presented by BetSBK.com | 18+ | Gamble Responsibly)