Rohl could now turn ‘exciting’ Rangers star into his own Shankland at Ibrox

For the first time this season, Rangers won a Premiership match at home; Danny Röhl is already doing wonders!

Gers beat Kilmarnock 3-1 at Ibrox on Sunday, with Derek Cornelius breaking the deadlock, only for Killie to equalize as half-time approached, but goals from Danilo and Youssef Chermiti after the break cemented the victory.

It was only the Gers’ second league victory of the season, beating Livingston at Almondvale in the last minute in September to move them into fifth, just five points behind Celtic, although still 13 points behind runaway league leaders Hearts.

New manager Röhl may have only been in place for a week, but he now faces a crucial seven days, with a tricky trip to Hibernian on Wednesday, before the small matter of a Glasgow derby at Hampden in the League Cup semi-final next Sunday.

Ahead of these massive games, has Röhl unearthed an “exciting” talent who could arguably replicate the Premiership’s best striker?

Why the Rangers should have signed Lawrence Shankland

Over the summer, Rangers were heavily linked with a move for Scotland international striker Lawrence Shankland, given his contract at Heart of Midlothian expired on June 30.

After just a few days of unemployment, Shankland decided to stay at Hearts, signing a new contract on July 3, and he certainly showed Rangers what they could have had last month, scoring both goals as the Jambos won 2-0 at Ibrox.

Well, Heart of Midlothian are certainly the talk of Scottish football at the moment.

Derek McInnes’ side beat Celtic 3-1 at a noisy Tynecastle on Sunday, taking the lead through an own goal, before quick strikes from Alexandros Kyziridis and then Shankland from the penalty spot cemented a 3-1 victory.

That leaves Hearts eight points clear at the top, looking to become Scotland’s first non-Old Firm champions since Aberdeen 41 years ago, without facing one of the Glasgow giants again before their trip to Celtic Park on December 7.

Shankland himself has now scored eight goals this season, five of which have come in the Premiership.

In contrast, right-back James Tavernier is the only Rangers player to have scored more than one league goal in his nine appearances to date.

So the Hearts captain, a childhood Rangers fan, spotted at Ibrox for April’s Europa League quarter-final against Athletic Club, would undoubtedly improve the current Gers team, but did Röhl discover his answer to Shankland in Sunday’s game, a forgotten star who could propel Rangers up the table?

Rangers have their own answer to Shankland

Sunday was certainly a memorable afternoon for new signing Youssef Chermiti, scoring his first senior goal since May 2023, but Danilo was the striker who caught the eye.

When he joined the club from Feyenoord for a fee of £6m in the summer of 2023, then-manager Michael Beale called him “an exciting player who loves to create and score goals”.

Meanwhile, Rangers Review’s Melvin Dupper described him as “quick” and an “incredible instinctive finisher”, praising his work rate and pressing ability, but supporters saw very little of that in the two-plus years that followed.

The Brazilian has scored just 14 goals in 61 outings for the club, missing 65 matches due to injury.

Sunday’s header was only his second goal since scoring in the 3-0 demolition of Celtic in January.

Overall, as the table below shows, Danilo had a very productive afternoon against Kilmarnock, despite limited involvement.

As the table shows, Danilo was not often involved in the build-up play, which is underlined by the fact that he only touched the ball 18 times in 69 minutes on the pitch, three fewer touches than goalkeeper Jack Butland.

Nevertheless, when his only opportunity of the afternoon presented itself, he took it, blasting past Killie keeper Eddie Beach.

It may be obvious, but having a reliable goalscorer could transform this team, with new manager Röhl attempting to rebuild a sinking ship that has hit rock bottom, following Russell Martin’s disastrous, if brief, reign.

Hearts would not be clear at the top without the goals scored by Shankland and summer signing Cláudio Braga, with Rangers still searching for their own talisman in attack, after a summer of scattered recruitment.

New recruits Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski seem inferior to those they are supposed to replace, namely Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane. Could Danilo, a player they already had but many had written off, prove to be the center forward Röhl can hang his hat on?