Derek McInnes Backs Lawrence Shankland to Shine at Rangers

Derek McInnes is backing Lawrence Shankland to become a decisive force at Rangers, insisting the striker is simply “too good not to score regularly” despite a low-key start to life at Ibrox.

Shankland has managed just one goal in five appearances since his summer move and was left on the bench for Sunday’s 5-1 League Cup win over St Mirren, Rangers’ first victory of the season. The 31-year-old, captain in name, watched as Ryan Naderi led the line and opened the scoring, while Nico Raskin wore the armband.

McInnes, though, sounded utterly relaxed about his forward’s output.

“When you have a player like Lawrence, who knows his way around the penalty box and how to score goals, I do not worry too much about it,” the Rangers manager said. “Sometimes people can over emphasise these things. For me, it is a case of letting him play his natural game.

“The best strikers have that instinctive side to their game, where everything looks natural and seamless. I have no doubt he will do well here.”

McInnes knows exactly what Shankland can produce. Under his management at Hearts last season, the Scotland international plundered 22 goals and carried the Edinburgh club’s attack for long stretches of the campaign. That history is fuelling the manager’s certainty that the goals will come again in Glasgow.

Captaincy, though, will not guarantee minutes. Shankland has already been told as much.

“I said that when I spoke to Lawrence,” McInnes explained. “Being captain does not guarantee anything, and he accepted that. He is not going to stamp his feet about it.

“Having worked with Lawrence before, he is a brilliant captain and a brilliant boy. You want your captain to have a big influence on and off the pitch, and I believe Lawrence will have that.”

For now, that influence may have to stretch beyond the starting XI as McInnes leans on competition up front and looks to build on the St Mirren result.

While Shankland adjusts, Raskin’s situation hovers in the background. The Belgium midfielder has been heavily linked with a move away from Ibrox, his future a constant talking point as the window ticks on. McInnes, though, praised the 25-year-old’s focus.

“Every player's got a price,” he said. “Every player has got a time where it maybe suits them to move on, suits the club or whatever.

“But I think it's important for me to say that Nico's been a dream since we came in, in terms of how he's set about his work, and he doesn't look like a boy who's distracted in any way with that.

“I've no doubt there's a lot of stuff going on in the background with him. I just need to play it by ear really to be honest. I'm enjoying working with him.”

Attention now turns to Europe. Rangers host Jablonec at Ibrox on Thursday in the first leg of a Conference League play-off, a tie McInnes refuses to dress up with easy labels.

He is not interested in favourites’ tags. The Czech side travel to Glasgow on the back of six straight wins, a run that demands respect and careful planning.

“It's just a game that we put the emphasis on ourselves to go and win,” McInnes said. “They're clearly a well-organised team. They've got a few good individuals who can make the game a bit more problematic for you, but we feel as though we've got a good handle on what they are.

“They can change from shape to shape a lot even within the same personnel so we've got to be ready for that.

“I'm just really trying to concentrate on us finding our level and us getting big performances. If we can do that then, although I'm expecting a tough game, I expect it to be tougher for them.”

A captain fighting to ignite his season, a key midfielder with transfer noise swirling, and a European play-off that could define the early months of McInnes’ reign. Rangers are finally up and running. Now they have to prove it when the stakes jump again on Thursday night.