'Real deal' Rangers striker tipped to net 20+ goals this season and earns Ally McCoist comparison

Rangers still have a lot of ground to make up this season if they want to be in with a chance of catching Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership. The Hoops have barely put a foot wrong this season but they finally endured their first defeat of the campaign, coming at the hands of Rangers and their ‘never say die’ attitude.

Philippe Clement has been hit with a lot of sacking speculation this season amid some questionable results but the statement Old Firm 3-0 win has put him back on a pedestal as far as professionals are concerned. In spite of reports suggesting Clement’s position as manager has been at risk, Pat Nevin believes he is the right man for Ibrox and has everything in his locker to thwart runaway leaders Celtic.

Speaking to Grosvenor Sport, the former Chelsea and Everton man voiced his backing for the Rangers boss and highlighted a player who has been shining in the ranks of the Light Blues.

Igamane the ‘real deal’ for Rangers

Summer signing Hamza Igamane has impressed many since he arrived in Glasgow from AS FAR. The 22-year-old has established himself as a key part of Clement’s side and has been enjoying his regular role in the starting lineup. The Moroccan forward has contributed 11 goals in all competitions so far this season and Nevin believes he could be the goal machine up front Rangers have been looking for.

“Hamza Igamane looks the most natural striker that Rangers have had in a long time. He looks close to the real deal of what Rangers need and that’s someone scoring well over 20 goals a season. The days of the Ally McCoists are long gone and they need another forward like that, he’s going to score goals and keep on doing it in Scotland.

“Could he ever play in the Premier League? Looking at the amount of goals Kyogo Furuhashi has scored in Scotland, I thought someone was going to take a chance on him but nobody did in the Premier League. That shows you that you need to have numbers off the charts in Scotland to get that sort of interest.”

Clement ‘can topple’ Celtic with Rangers

Celtic have dropped points on just three occasions in the Scottish Premiership this season and boast a stunning 16-point lead over Rangers. While the gap is a daunting one to look at from Rangers’ point of view, their 3-0 derby win showcased they do have the ability to seriously wound their Old Firm rivals.

Rangers haven’t won the Scottish Premiership since the 2020/21 season but Nevin believes Clement is the man for the job. The Belgian manager has been backed as the right candidate at Ibrox to take Rangers forward but the financial side of things may not be in line with everything else.

“Technically, I think Phillipe Clement has what it takes as a manager to topple Celtic – but financially is another question. If Rangers had lost 3-0 to Celtic, then I think many fans would want a change and you can also look at the Tottenham game which they should’ve won and the Scottish League Cup final. There are only two places Rangers can finish in Scotland and that’s first and worst. But I do think Clement was very very clever against Celtic.

“His team also played with a great spirit and with skill. That’s where we saw Clement’s technical side. If you can play against Celtic and keep Callum McGregor out of the game and from controlling it, you can stop Celtic. Clement found a way of doing that. It wasn’t complicated, they just got into him and killed his space when he got the ball, it was clever and uncomplicated and destroyed Celtic but nobody else can do that.

“So he's a good coach. He's a good technical coach. Will they be able to back him financially to take on Celtic with Celtic's bigger financial muscle? That's a bigger call. That's a harder call because Brendan Rodgers is a good manager.”